Process of Elimination
by Durandall
Summary: Earth is endangered by a race of bioengineered monsters.  All those who can, assemble to fight to the end ... but will it be enough?  Now digitally remastered with THX sound!
1. Prologue

Process of Elimination - Prologue

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!), and Kitty Films, Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon).  


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"Yamada-sensei?"

The young woman blinked, turning her attention to the child, and smiled at him encouragingly. A little boy crowded into a small huddle of his classmates in the tiny room. "Yes, Akira?" she asked.

"Why is today special?"

Her smile widened, becoming slightly wistful. "That's a very good question," she noted. "Okay, children, Akira asked what's special about today, so I want you to all sit down and pay attention."

After a few minutes of bumbling, the children managed just that, and the teacher spared a moment to glance outside, where numerous saplings grew on the landscape, all of the other buildings visible only through the opposite bank of windows. Once they had assembled, she addressed her students again, "Today is July twenty-seventh, by the old Terran calendar. Do any of you know what happened today, twelve years ago?"

"Exodus!" one of the children cried out suddenly, waving a hand in the air eagerly. "That's what my daddy said it was!"

"That's part of it," the woman encouraged, taking a seat at the chair before her desk. Her nameplate was there, 'Yamada Nonoko,' but she turned her attention back to the children, leaning over to retrieve a book, which she opened carefully. "Now, there's more to it than that, children, so let me tell you the story of what happened in the last days of old Terra."

"What's old Terra?"

"Another good question! Old Terra is the planet that your parents all come from, and the planet where I was born, but when we were there, we called it 'Earth'. At the time, there was a country on Earth called 'America'..."

XXX

Checking his watch quietly, a man in sharp, clean, military dress noted the time, looked up, and frowned. He was unused to waiting, and it showed in his demeanor.

However, he remained seated in his seat in the cramped waiting room, ignoring the several-year-old magazines on the table before him. A chime sounded from a ceiling-mounted speaker, a voice following it and announcing, "Sorry for the delay. You can enter now."

A large, seamless section of the wall abruptly broke away, sinking into a recess and sliding to one side. Grumbling, the man in military dress strode through. "This had better be worth my time," he notified the empty room, as he passed through the doorway.

Waiting for him, a man with a clipboard and dressed in the all-too-normal lab coat raised an eyebrow. "Sorry about the wait," he said with no real enthusiasm. "You're here to see them, are you?"

"Them?" the military man asked, intrigued. "I haven't been told much about this project."

"This way, and we'll give you a demonstration."

Allowing the man in the lab coat to lead the way, he followed, glancing around the cavernous halls carved beneath the mountain. A well-nigh impenetrable fortress, with natural ore deposits in the hundreds of feet of stone above them protecting and shielding them from the most powerful of satellites. "What can you tell me about them, first?" he pressed.

"Sleek, efficient, and not entirely of terrestrial origin."

He furrowed his brows at that. "I don't like the sound of that," he mumbled. "I heartily disagree, in fact. As you know, the highest levels of our government are in contact with certain ... outside influences. They would not approve of this in the slightest."

The man in the lab coat paused, looking over his shoulder with a smirk. "Are you sure? Where do you think we got them?"

XXX

"Owens?" he gasped, his eyes going wide.

Owens lay on the floor, gasping for breath; the massive creature that the scientists had labeled 'controlled' had been anything but. Owens had only enough time to try and turn before a clumsy swipe slammed him across the hall and into a stone wall hard enough to crack the smooth gray expanse.

He was not moving when he landed. Richter was not a religious man, but a thousand prayers flew to his lips as he abandoned Owens, dropping his M-16 and fleeing. The monster, whatever it was, stumbled after him a few steps, but stopped at Owens's body.

Screaming in rage, Richter skidded to a halt before a large glass panel labeled 'emergency', and slammed his boot into it. The breakaway front of the panel exploded inward, and he scrabbled through the broken glass for the Pancor Jackhammer that lay within.

Wheeling on the reaver that had already eaten almost the entirety of Owens, he screamed again, charging and emptying the weapon's ammunition into the beast.

In strangely surreal slow motion, he watched the shots slam into the hide, piercing it and rupturing the thick black carapace. Staggering backwards from the impact, the monster reared upward, like a massive tick with ridiculously long and wickedly sharp legs, yellow ooze seeping from its wounds.

"Yeah!" Richter shouted, ejecting the spent shells from his weapon and fumbling to reload it. "God-damn freak of nature!" They got Owens, and they would pay.

That was Richter's final thought, as another black claw slashed into him from behind, cleaving through his skull in a single swipe.

XXX

His head snapped to one side as his father's fist missed him by a fraction. Grinning, he slammed his knee upward, catching his father's thigh and turning the larger martial artist about with the force of the blow.

The two bounced apart, coming to rest on opposite sides of the koi pond. Ranma smirked, shaking his head. One way or another, he did _not_ intend to fall into that pond, today. He'd recently spent far too much time without hot water being able to do a damn bit of good to allow that any time soon.

His father, seeming to understand, dropped his hands to his side, and grumbled, "That's good enough for now, I suppose." Shaking his head, the man trudged towards the house and its curiously somber residents.

"What's the big deal?" Ranma asked, toweling some of the sweat from his hair with one of the washcloths that Kasumi had left for him and his father.

Akane shot him a disapproving glance before turning her attention to the television screen and the newscaster's frantic reports. The washcloth dropped from his fingers as he continued to watch.

XXX

He sat in serene mediation, merely staring at the small shrine and lost in thought. His home, the thing that was most valuable to him.

"Jiji!"

He snapped his head away from the shrine, turning to stare at the young man in the entryway. "Yes, Tenchi?" he asked.

"Did you see the news?"

Katsuhito climbed to his feet, shaking his head. "No. What's going on?"

Tenchi hopped from one foot to the other nervously and babbled, "There are strange monsters attacking America! We need to do something!"

"Whoa, whoa there, Tenchi. What's this?" He hadn't sensed anything coming, nor had Funaho warned him. What could have happened?

"I don't know, but it's so bad that Washuu can't believe it!" Tenchi managed, obviously unhappy about not being able to do anything.

A chill ran up Yosho's spine and he frowned unhappily. "Okay, Tenchi, let's go talk to Washuu, and see what's going on here before you jump into something dangerous."

XXX

Eyes fluttering open slowly, she moaned, "I'm gonna be late for school!"

"No, you're not," she was answered in a resigned voice.

Usagi sat up quickly, dislodging the cat that had replied to her. "That's right," she mumbled. "There is no more school." She climbed out of her bed anyway, frowning thoughtfully. "What are we going to do today, Luna?"

"Wait," the cat advised. "Setsuna will return, and then she'll guide us through this."

"We can't do anything else but wait?"

"It wouldn't be wise, Usagi."

XXX

In a place that was no place, a realm without boundaries such as we could recognize, the eldest of three sisters strode across a long hall. "Soon," she breathed. "Soon now, you will return to us, and allow the cycle to be completed."

She shook her head, eyes tracking far distant and unknowable points. "Why did you abandon your duty, Washuu? I can no longer sit idly by ... you must return."  


* * *

Author's Notes: And so it begins. Again. Ten years later...

Diverges from Ranma 1/2 after volume 24, continuation for OAV 2 in the Tenchi universe (well, one of them), and a very vague, completely unspecified point in the Sailor Moon continuity, as I only knew of SM through other fanfics when I first wrote this. This fic uses the bizarrely vague 'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy! 


	2. Chapter 01

Process of Elimination - Chapter One

Disclaimer: The paints belong to Takahashi, and Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!), the easel is mine.

* * *

_"That is not to say, of course, that he was human, or not. If anything, he was better than us. Not because of what he did for us in his services and his aid, not because he saved us [...] but because he never stopped believing that we could win."_

- Captain Norris, CINCPAC, July 27th, 2005

XXX

"Choose one," Ranma muttered to himself, his breath rasping with the pain he no longer acknowledged. "Yeah, right..."

Slumping to his knees in the otherwise deserted corridor, its gleaming steel and cold empty stretches echoing too-loudly in his ears, he groaned. Either they would come and find him dead, or he would kill as many of them as he could before he died. It was that simple.

He smiled grimly at the deep, resonating roar that shook the complex, rattling his teeth and telling him that _that_ at least had gone as planned. "I win," he whispered, sensation slowly beginning to fade as his vision darkened. "I win..."

XXX

Ranma eyed the folded note distastefully. "So..." he began, the entire assembled Tendo and Saotome families, in addition to the normal tag-alongs staring at him. "What's this all about?"

Nabiki shrugged uncomfortably, clearly looking unhappy about something or another. "Ranma," she began, pointing to the note, "they're not assigning any more spaces. Basically ... you won."

He blinked, staring at the slip of paper on the table, suddenly frighteningly aware of the eyes on him. He had gotten a pass. Not Kuno, with his wealth, nor Nabiki with her grades, or anyone else ... but him.

"Uh..." he started, suddenly nervous with the number of eyes locked on him. His father, his fiancees, and his rivals. "What does this mean?"

Nabiki stood slowly, taking the paper and striding purposefully across the room towards Ranma. "It means," she stated, "that because of your 'unique' position, that you can take one person with you. Just one. But ... _any_ one."

Ranma swallowed involuntarily, taking the note as Nabiki pressed it into his chest.

"So ... pick one. And make it a good choice."

XXX

He sat on the roof of the house, alone and thinking. Who to take? Just one person? That wasn't fair. Not for him - not for anyone, really.

Sensing another presence at the edge of the roof, he looked over, waiting patiently as she approached. "One at a time," he muttered to himself, wondering how they would take it. Maybe really only three choices, but that didn't make things easier.

XXX

Ukyou lounged at the counter, idly poking at a half-finished okonomiyaki before sighing moodily and pushing it away. She glanced over as another girl entered the shop, nodding before taking a seat near Ukyou. "Hello."

"Heya, Shampoo. What'cha doing here?"

The Amazon fidgeted for a moment before admitting, "Airen not going to choose Shampoo, Shampoo think."

Ukyou nodded. "He's probably going to choose Akane."

Shampoo grimaced, pulling a note from a pocket. "He give this..." she trailed off, handing over the scrap of paper. "Ask to show to you, too."

"Three days?" Ukyou commented, glancing it over. "So he's gonna tell us in... But that's the..."

"Last day?"

"Yeah..."

XXX

Shampoo peered nervously into the dark alleyway. People were acting less ... restrained ... this close to the end, doing things that they never would, were it not for the impending disaster. She shivered, suddenly afraid, and spun, seeing a shadowy figure before her.

There was only enough time for her to open her mouth in surprise before she was silenced.

XXX

Akane followed the pigtailed boy doubtfully, intimidated by the expanses of bare corridor before her as Ranma marched forward knowingly. "Where are we going?" she asked.

He glanced over his shoulder and flashed her a smile. "Got some good news and some bad news. After a bit of arguing, I got them to accept one boy, one girl, and one pet."

"You're kidding?" She adjusted the handle on her suitcase as her arm began to tire.

"Nope."

Had he chosen her? He still hadn't announced who he was going to pick, and time was running critically low. "One pet?"

"Don't worry about it."

She frowned, wondering why Ranma would have gone through the trouble... P-chan? But that would mean that Ranma had chosen her - as far as she knew, none of the other girls had pets. But then, P-chan wasn't near; she hadn't seen him in days.

"Here," he announced, gesturing her forward.

She passed through a giant secured door with slight trepidation. "What's this, Ranma?"

He said nothing, merely motioning her forward again. She stepped forward slowly, entering a room with an equally confused and nervous Ukyou - in her boy's school uniform. "Akane-chan?" she asked, disbelieving.

"Ukyou?" Akane turned to question Ranma, only to see the heavy door she had passed through slam shut with a resounding shudder, sealing the two together. "Oh no..." she whispered, piecing the clues together.

The okonomiyaki chef blinked, realizing what had happened. "But..." she started, looking towards the door.

Blinking suddenly, Akane stared at her suitcase, as a crackling voice over the intercom asked, "Saotome Ranma?"

Swallowing nervously at the suitcase, Akane whispered, "And one pet..."

XXX

Ukyou ran for all she was worth, Shampoo - human again, and dressed in one of Akane's spare outfits - towing Akane along behind her. "Airen brave," she panted, "but Shampoo not leave alone like this."

"He knows it, though," Akane grated out, trying to keep up to the other martial artists.

Ukyou nodded, darting a single glance back at the ship and its promise of safety. "We'll find him, then ... then..." she trailed off, not having the slightest idea what she would do afterwards.

XXX

"But-"

"NO!" Ranma roared, shoving her back through the final door, pressing her into the other two girls and sealing them in as they struggled to regain their footing. "I owe..." He trailed off, leaning against the thick pane of glass in the center of the steel barrier. "I owe all of you. I ain't... I ain't gonna just pick one." He looked up suddenly, standing straight and letting the trio actually see the reddening patch on his shirt, the wound he had taken earlier being more than he had hinted.

"You owe me," he announced. "I gave up what I got for you, and you ... you owe me bein' safe. So ... go." He coughed, turning to the panel on the side of the door and smashing the protective glass covering a large red button. "Survive..."

"Ranma!"

XXX

Ranma's eyes drifted closed and he nodded to himself weakly, the feeling of cold settling into his bones. "I win..." he breathed.

XXX

One desiccated hulk of compacted and compressed alloys and bio-material sat in a hallway. It was wounded, broken open rudely in several places, and slowly secreting a thick toxic sludge that ate through the steel corridors beneath it.

Washuu blinked at that, surprised, and smiled hopefully. It took a lot of power to destroy reavers, and she hadn't thought that the Terrans possessed anything short of nuclear weapons that could manage the feat.

The probe adjusted its visual settings, tracking multiple footprints in the steel, residual heat from some of them stating their relative freshness.

She paused for a moment, staring at the gargantuan hulk, stuck halfway in a wall, though the ichor was slowly eating through the confining metal. Its claws were splayed loosely around it, leaving the monster looking deplorably stunned, despite the twisted metal of the walls opposite it, slashed to pieces by the thing's massive piercing limbs, which easily evidenced its raw power.

The view screen focused inward for a moment, showing a reddish coat on one claw, fresh blood slowly congealing on the appendage. Something she had seen more than enough of the last few days. Sighing, she traced the footsteps, noting one of them was accompanied by occasional splotch of blood every few meters.

"Hmm..." she mused aloud, watching the footsteps recede into the distance. Someone had gotten wounded, killed the reaver, and then been able to run? That bore deeper investigation...

The probe came to a sudden halt, catching up to a boy, likely younger than even Tenchi, slumped against a wall. He was still, completely unmoving.

He wasn't dead. She knew instinctively, without referring to any of her machines, that he _should_ be dead. But at the same time, she knew that he wasn't.

"Well," she mused to herself, brushing aside a stray lock of red hair. "I'll be."

She bit her lip, seeing the probe's view of the corridor darken slowly. It was time to pull the probe back and hide again, but ... but...

His hand twitched slightly, falling limp at his side, palm upwards as though in a supplicating gesture, begging her to help.

Slumping, she moved to press the recall button. No exceptions could be made; trying to help him would jeopardize her position.

"Damn it."

She watched, surprised, as her hand did not hit the recall button, instead activating another function.

"Uh-oh."

Another hand fell upon her shoulder, prompting her to turn around. "Yosho?" she queried.

The young-seeming man behind her nodded, staring at the monitor. "What are you going to do with him?"

She fidgeted, blinking lights and subtle alarms notifying her that they had been discovered. "Nothing much I _can_ do, now. He's going to need help, and let's be honest, so will we."

"I see."

XXX

"Interesting."

The machine swept across the boy twice, informing her clearly what his vital signs were.

It would take most of her skill to bring him back from the brink, and more likely than not, she would need much of the equipment her lab could still provide.

"Very interesting..."

Were circumstances otherwise, she would have been thrilled at the prospect, but now ... this was simply not the time for such things. Sighing, she set to work, placing a net of wires and diodes to the boy's head. First things first...

XXX

Stability, if nothing else. She frowned, surveying the latest readouts. Logically, she knew that she needed to make him better - replace the damaged parts that were too heavily poisoned or corroded to repair. But she also knew from a personal standpoint that it would be a horrible thing to do; she had no spare human internal organs, and the cloning facilities were already under attack. The only replacements she could give him now would mean...

"Having trouble, Washuu?"

She jerked, startled - and annoyed at being surprised. "What? Hmm... Maybe you can help me, Yosho. You are a priest after all." She smirked at his frown, then gestured to the boy. "I've found some other interesting things out ... but what should I do with him?"

A distant alarm sounded, and a light flared red briefly, before fading into blackness.

The pair stared at the spot where it had been for a long moment, before Yosho responded, "I don't know how to answer that question right now. The choice is yours, Washuu. You're going to have to decide for yourself... Unless you can ask him?"

XXX

Washuu stared at the boy before her, and then glanced over towards the still-sealed tank containing the Masu. "Well," she muttered to herself, sitting before her computer and retrieving some of her older files. "It's an edge. Better than nothing."

Another scanner passed slowly over him, illuminating some of the more damaged areas, infected with toxins from the reaver he had killed. She shook her head, glancing back at him in admiration before turning towards the computer again. To be able to destroy one of them alone - he had to possess great willpower, not to mention his physical abilities.

"I know," she commented to him, "that on one level, what I'm doing is wrong, so I'm just going to have to hope you can forgive me ... but this time, I can honestly say that this is for your own good. It really is." Sighing, she deactivated some of the less-used portions of her lab, diverting more power to her current project - and the lab's steadily deteriorating defenses.

She rubbed at her forehead, sighing mournfully. "I _really_ hope you can forgive me."

XXX

Washuu sighed, glancing around the area at the calm, still surface of the pool surrounding the shrine's great tree - and the means by which Yosho was able to live such a long life.

She leaned her forehead against the tree, suspecting that Yosho was nearby but dismissing it for the moment. "I've already done all the modifications I can. I still need a power source, and too much of the lab is already gone to build one right now. I need to devote too much attention to maintaining what's left - and the systems to finish him - to build it myself. We're in pretty dire straits."

There was a faint humming noise, echoing across the pond before a sudden beam of light coalesced, revealing a demure woman standing on the still surface of the pond. "Hmm..." Washuu smirked, turning back to view the new arrival. "Any good news, Tsunami?"

"I am sorry, Washuu-chan." The woman looked to her feet, towards the reflection beneath her, much younger and with a lighter shade of hair. "We are attempting to assemble a fleet. The border still requires a certain amount of attention, and the Galaxy Police have already dispatched a sizable rescue convoy. They will bypass the Terran refugees and attempt to evacuate survivors as swiftly as possible..." She trailed off with an apologetic smile. "How... How do things go on Earth?"

Washuu shrugged, sitting against the base of the tree as Tsunami drew closer, pausing at the edge of the water and not stepping onto the shore. "Not that well," she said. "I'm tracking them now, though. The Terrans actually managed to stop twelve of them."

The woman blinked in surprise, stunned. "How?"

Washuu rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. "Well, from what I can tell, they dropped a nuclear explosive on a group of them. The radiation looks to have killed six of them."

Wincing, Tsunami shook her head. "That is a very poor answer... How many remain?"

"Two hundred and eighty eight, last count."

"How were the other six stopped?"

Washuu shrugged again, crossing her legs idly, lounging against the tree. "The American military developed a toxin for the reavers. That stopped three of them before they became immune."

"Immune?"

The scientist nodded knowingly. "They have a form of telepathy, even though they don't really have sentience. So they figured out what to change, and are no longer vulnerable to the toxin."

"I see..."

"One of them ate a piece of radioactive metal... I'm not sure if it died from radiation poisoning, or the nuclear reactor's explosion, yet."

Tsunami drooped visibly, her expression becoming more apprehensive. "I see ... there is no hope for stopping them, then?"

"One of them fell into a volcano, and died in the lava ... unfortunately, it took several hours to be fatally wounded, and countless Terrans died to get it into such a situation."

Wiping at the corners of her eyes, and what looked to be forming tears, Tsunami nodded again. "Ah." Her voice had slowly become colder and more terse, the more bad news that she heard. "And the last?"

Washuu's gaze hardened as she frowned, folding her arms beneath her chest. "That one..." She sighed, shaking her head. "As impossible as it should be, a single Terran killed it."

Tsunami blinked at that, hope filling her eyes. "How?"

Washuu shrugged again. "Not entirely sure of that one myself yet ... but apparently he's just got such drive and will that he was able to beat one to death with his bare hands."

"Amazing!" Tsunami shook her head, rubbing at her temples and sighing. "I would not have thought anyone but Tenchi-sama or Yosho-sama could do that... So there is a way for you to fight them after all?"

Washuu sighed again, staring at the moon's reflection on the still pond. "Somewhat. But as I said earlier, I don't have the power myself."

"What do you mean?"

"He took considerable damage taking out the one he did. As I said before, I've done what I can, but he was badly wounded in his battle. I need more power, and with the reavers actively eating my lab, that's not going to happen."

Tsunami stared at Washuu for a long moment, then nodded curtly. "I will help. In the meantime, the Throne is preparing to send a lead convoy of our ships for evacuation through a gateway, along with any capable Galaxy Police ships. Currently, we have only managed to assemble a few of their vessels, supplemented with some volunteers from the Home Fleet. Despite Tenchi-sama's requests, Azusa is making it a volunteer only mission ... and the reputation of the reavers worries many Jurians even to this day."

Washuu nodded knowingly. "Most Juraian warships aren't really fit for this battle. It would be about the same as using nuclear weapons, in terms of collateral damage."

Tsunami smiled sadly. "That is one of the primary arguments going on in the Senate at the moment. And the Galaxy Police do not have that many ships close by. Truthfully, the most deployable vessels are actually closer to Terra than Jurai, so they are racing towards Terra as swiftly as possible, but it will be a month before they arrive... They lack the teleportation abilities that our fleet possesses." Tsunami frowned worriedly, seeming to hedge on saying more, then finally blurted out, "There was some hope that you could, perhaps, create a virus that could destroy them."

Washuu frowned distastefully. "Well, the reavers are part Masu, which makes it hard, even for me. They don't breathe, and they already know not to travel near each other because of the nuclear strike, so it doesn't matter how communicable the disease is, we'd have to administer the virus to them directly. And then they might adapt and transmit the information telepathically before they die, anyway ... aside from which, do we _really_ want to try that? That's part of where the reavers came from in the first place."

Tsunami bowed her head again, sighing deeply. "I will arrive in a moment, Washuu-chan, then I will try and help you. Is there anything I should do before I do so?"

Washuu nodded, standing and leaning against Funaho. "Yes, actually. Can you bring one of my daughter's gems?"

Tsunami furrowed her brow briefly, then shrugged. "I will ask. I will be there shortly, Washuu-chan."

"Great! Meet me in my lab."

XXX

"Ah, Tsunami, good to see you again." Washuu smiled crookedly, peering down at her latest project. "There he is," she commented, patting the clear glass-like shield covering him and protecting him from being disturbed, "in all his glory."

The Juraian woman studied the apparently sleeping boy closely, before narrowing her eyes. "He is still wounded?"

Washuu grimaced. "As much as I would wish otherwise. I can only keep him stable, and wanted your help before the next phase. Were you able to get a gem from Ryouko?"

Tsunami shook her head. "Only for a moment. She insisted on keeping them nearby to protect Tenchi-sama." The woman clasped her hands together, frowning and concentrating intensely as a bluish aura flared to life around her, an intense glow emanating from her and illuminating the far corners of the room. Washuu raised an eyebrow speculatively, thinking for a moment that she could see the Wings of the Light Hawk ... but she blinked, and the image vanished.

Smiling weakly, Tsunami held out a hand, presenting Washuu with a nearly perfect replica of one of Ryouko's gems. Washuu looked at it curiously, taking the gem and holding it close to her eyes. "Tsunami ... blue?"

The woman frowned. "That is not going to be a problem, is it?"

Washuu shrugged, gesturing towards the boy. "Not really, but if we do this, I don't think he'll be able to use Ryouko's gems ... not that _that_ should be an issue, anyway. Hmm..." Shaking her head, she pocketed the stone and padded over to a control console. "I'm ready for the next step, but ... are you?"

"Yes, though we will have to hurry; the Supreme Council reconvenes in an hour, and I did not warn Tenchi-sama that I would be away for long."

"Right. Let's get to it!"

XXX

Dizzy. He felt very dizzy.

"Mmm..." he managed, sitting up quickly, and staring around himself in confusion. "Wha...?"

"Careful," a voice warned. "I've temporarily blocked away your memories so that the shock won't throw you off completely. We need to get you adjusted to your new powers."

"Huh?" He twisted around, seeing that he was sitting on a low table - the kind usually associated with surgery. Had be been operated on recently? "What ... happened to me?"

A tallish woman with long red hair stepped out from behind a panel, jotting notes down on a clipboard and nodding herself. She clicked her tongue, lowering her notes and eyeing him thoughtfully. "Well," she sighed, crossing her arms beneath her chest, "that's a long story, but it's also not important at the moment. I needed to run some tests before the block on your memory dissolves." Nodding, she produced a mirror and handed it to him. "Here, take a look at yourself."

He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long minute. Generally handsome features, he supposed, though he couldn't remember what it was in relation _to_... He had medium-length black hair, though he couldn't guess at the reasoning behind the style, spiked upwards and back as it was. He ran a hand through it, surprised as it sprang back up into jutting points again after he pressed it down.

The woman smiled apologetically. "Masu aren't even supposed to have hair at all, really, they just emulate it to the best of their ability," she explained, "and I suppose that could be considered a weak point in their makeup... I digress. At any rate, that's the best I could do with the time that I had. Sorry about the body suit, but I didn't know what colors you would like."

He looked down at himself, noting for the first time the one-piece jet-black form-fitting suit he was dressed in. Pants and sleeves that melded into shoes and gloves seamlessly. "You have a normal mode, and a battle mode. Currently, you are in 'battle' mode. Since you don't have your memories, pay attention to the things you do instinctively, so you'll remember them when your memories are unblocked."

He nodded acceptance, still confused. "What's your name? And who am I?" he asked.

"You can call me 'Washuu-chan', and we don't know your name yet. Worry about that later. Firstly," she commanded, "try to levitate."

He did it, needing to take a moment to understand _how_ he did so, hovering a few inches above the operating table. "Excellent," she noted, marking her clipboard briefly before turning back to him again. "Now, try and phase through something."

"Huh?"

Washuu sighed, pointing towards the table. "Try reaching through that surface."

He nodded, punching through the table with ease.

The woman sighed again, shaking her head. "Doomed," she commented. "Maybe it's a side effect on the brain from the Masu... Ryouko did the same thing when- Bah! Try again; see if you can reach through it _without_ damaging it."

"Oh," he said, prodding at the table experimentally, before finding a way to ... slide ... his hand through it. "Like this?" he asked nervously.

"Excellent," the redhead crowed, marking off another point on her clipboard. "Now ... those are your most basic abilities. The more time you spend in your new body, the better you will be able to control it. Here..." She fished a small blue stone out of her pocket, and tossed it to the boy, who belatedly caught it. "Integrate this gem."

He blinked, thinking about it for a moment, before it melded into his wrist and a blaze of blue skin-tight material seemed to erupt from it, covering his arm and part of his torso before halting suddenly. "Very good..." Washuu noted something on her clipboard. "When you aren't in battle mode, you will be able to leave the gem near your ear, though you can also just keep it on your wrist, dormant. Try and relax a little."

Nodding, he watched the blaze of blue seem to creep back into the gem, leaving his wrist bare as it popped out, floating above his hands. "Hmm..." He nodded to himself, letting the gem sink back into his wrist again, reforming the blue blaze across his arm and torso before it stopped. "What next?"

Washuu sighed, rubbing her head worriedly. "Well, there's more, but let's unblock your memories. They should return over the next few hours, to keep things manageable. Until then, why don't you stay with me and ask me any questions you have?"

He nodded as she thumbed a switch on a console, smirking to herself in satisfaction. "Good enough," she mumbled, gesturing him to follow and suddenly shifting to a much smaller form. "Let's go take a soak in the baths, hmm?"

He stared at her dumbfounded for a long moment. "I knew... I knew someone who did that," he said slowly, trying to put things together in his mind.

She arched an eyebrow curiously. "Oh?"

"Yeah... She... She was a child, but she could turn into a woman ... and I can't remember much else about her." He followed after her for another long moment, through a door and into what looked to be a moderately sized dwelling. He glanced up at the crab-shaped bell as it clanked, then frowned. "My name is Ranma..."

Washuu frowned. "Ranma? Hmm... 'Ran-oh-ki', eh? Well, that works."

"What?"

The girl shook her head, leading the boy into a vast bath. "You can worry about that later. He won't be mature for a bit, since I started on him later."

He halted suddenly, glancing around worriedly. "You want me to take a bath with you?"

Washuu shrugged, pausing at the entrance to the girl's side. "It's ... better for everyone involved to avoid being alone around here with the reavers loose."

Ranma staggered to his knees for a moment, clutching his head. "Big," he gasped out, "I remember... I thought it killed me..." He trailed off, staring at his hand, enclosed in the tight black material, with a certain morbid fascination. "What... I should be dead?"

She winced. "Yes ... you should be. But I thought you would be able to help us, if anyone could. And ... it was the best way to keep you alive."

He nodded slowly, regaining his feet, only to stumble again as another memory came back to him. "I turn into a girl?" he asked, worry tingeing his voice.

Washuu frowned. "Hmm ... yes, there were irregularities... Tsunami said that you should have more control over that now, though. Masu are more ... mutable ... than the average Terran, so you shouldn't have as much of a problem with it.

Ranma nodded, stepping forward uneasily. "I don't want to change," he said, stopping before the curtain.

The scientist crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at Ranma. "Well, there are some things to consider. Your other form is much faster, and if you're damaged severely, you will revert to the lesser mass to repair yourself."

"So I'm still cursed?"

"'Cursed'? I suppose so, for the time being. I could probably find a way to work around it, but until that happens, you're stuck that way. Anyway, come with me. I want to take a bath, and it's not completely safe alone."

Hesitantly, Ranma followed Washuu, looking away as she stripped, nervously examining the huge structure. "I think..." he began, "there was something about baths..."

The girl nodded, wrapping herself in a towel and wading into the pool. "Your memories will come back, slowly but surely. Sorry about that, but it was the best way to deal with the shock ... severe physical trauma, and I needed to teach you your new powers safely."

Ranma winced, running a hand through his hair. "My hair got cut," he complained. "It used to be longer."

Washuu nodded again running a hand through her own hair. "Yes, well, like I said, Masu and hair don't mix very well." She gestured towards the water before her. "Aren't you going to climb in?"

He shook his head. "Um... I remember something about baths and girls... Something about getting hit."

Washuu snorted, shaking her head. "I won't hit you as long as you behave yourself. If you try anything with me like this," she warned, gesturing to her small body, "you deserve what you get. Anyway, I've been operating on you for the last two days; I already know your bodies inside and out."

Ranma frowned, hesitantly searching for another towel. After finding one, he slid a hand over the sleeve covering his wrist and asked, "How do I take this thing off, anyway?"

Washuu glanced up from her own ruminations and smirked. "Right ... needed to explain that one to you. Hehe... Try and will it away, and it will automatically phase into a subspace pocket."

Ranma focused, moderately surprised to note that the suit did just as she said, leaving him exposed. He hurriedly hid himself behind the towel, securing it about his waist and entering the water cautiously, sitting some distance away from Washuu. "Um ... thanks." He stared at his hand; the gemstone in his wrist seemed to glow a faint blue, pulsating nearly imperceptibly with his heartbeat. "Do I need the clothes to fly?"

Washuu snorted, shaking her head. "No, you don't. The only difference between 'battle' mode and 'normal' mode is that you have better armor in battle mode. There's no real difference in your offensive capabilities, so you don't need to worry about that. There's more you can do, but worry about learning the rest later."

Ranma nodded slowly, feeling his hair again curiously. "So ... what am I?"

The scientist sighed, explaining, "You're a little more than half Masu. The reavers are partly Masu as well, so you'll need the ability to phase to counter them, though they can't teleport or levitate."

Eyes unfocused, Ranma nodded. "It attacked us through a wall. It ... almost got ... got... Who was she?" He sounded puzzled even in his memories. "I think she was ... one of my fiancees." He shook his head dismissively. "It doesn't matter; I got them into the ship so they could escape."

Washuu arched an eyebrow at that, summoning a cold, damp washcloth from somewhere to set upon her forehead as she soaked. "'One of?'" she asked.

Ranma furrowed his brow in thought. "I had more than one, I think... I sent them away to be safe ... sent them..." He trailed off, staring upwards through the dome above him, at the faintly twinkling stars. "I wonder where they are..." he mumbled.

"On their way to Jurai? They'll probably be rounded up by the Galaxy Police, or the Juraian Navy, and taken to Jurai. Tenchi-dono has an interest in preserving his people, after all. Why?" Washuu cocked her head to one side curiously.

Ranma frowned. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just wanted them to be safe... I... I don't know. What am I supposed to do, and what..." He stared at the gem in his wrist and asked again, "What am I?"

Washuu stared into the pool, face clouded. "You're part Masu, like I said. I'm sorry. It probably wasn't the only way to save you, but it's what I did. I wanted you to be able to fight off the reavers, and ... hopefully help us." She sighed, rubbing at the side of her face moodily and shifting to her adult form again. "What I did was wrong; I knew that before I started. I'm sorry, I really am, but... This is the best chance we have, all of us."

The boy nodded, shrugging uncomfortably at being in the bath with a much more developed Washuu. "It's a martial artist's duty to protect ... the weak. Yeah. I guess..." He stared at the gem for a silent moment, collecting his thoughts, then sighed. "I guess I would have been dead anyway, right? So it's better than nothing."

Washuu sighed again. "Unfortunately," she commented, "that doesn't make me feel much better."

Ranma smiled crookedly, staring into Washuu's eyes from across the pool. "What do I do, though? I'm supposed to protect you, right?"

XXX

Washuu winced at hearing that, feeling the guilt intensify. "No... No, not... I mean, I didn't change you just to protect me. I mean ... as selfish as that is, that's part of it, but it's also to protect yourself, and help all of us fight the reavers."

He nodded, his blue eyes still focused on hers. "I'll protect you, then. I mean ... I'd be dead if it weren't for you."

Washuu cleared her throat, shifting to her child-form again, and adjusting the washcloth on her head in an attempt to cover a slight blush. She knew she was a genius - the greatest scientific mind in the universe - but this young boy was going to protect her, a woman of more than twenty thousand years? "Well," she commented, "that makes me feel better. Yosho should be around here, too. Though I don't have a real plan for dealing with the reavers yet. Planning actually works poorly against them, since a given tactic usually only works once."

Ranma cocked his head to one side, blinking. "What are they?"

Washuu grimaced, explaining, "An old genetically engineered weapon. Nasty things. But whoever found them on this planet apparently managed to remove their capacity for breeding, or we'd all have been dead, and this planet probably scoured of all matter. Come to think of it, they might have been adjusted before they got here... Anyway, reavers are lifivores, Ranma. Do you know what that means?"

He shook his head, watching her raptly. "No. I've never heard of it ... that I can remember."

She couldn't help but smile at that small joke. "Hehe ... very funny, Ranma. A lifivore is a being that is able to subsist on any material - any material whatsoever."

"'Subsist'?"

Washuu sighed, rolling her eyes. "It can eat anything, and live off of it, Ranma. They're also able to learn, and if you kill one, the others may have learned to avoid the attack you used." She was silent for a moment, considering, then brightened. "Ah, here's an example. When they were first created, they were very soft and vulnerable to conventional Terran ballistics." At Ranma's blank look, she amended, "They could be hurt with bullets.

"They are too tough to be killed that way though, and learned to defend themselves from bullets easily. They just ate metals, heavy ceramics and the like, and added the new materials to their exoskeletons. The heavy ceramics allow them to withstand incredible amounts of heat before they die, and most weapons can't hurt them.

"You were, however, able to kill one of them. How?" Washuu leaned forward, as Ranma's head drooped, staring at his reflection in the water.

After a moment, he heaved a sigh and stared upwards, watching the stars through the dome. "Ki..."

Washuu blinked at that, confused. "What?"

Ranma blinked again, focusing on Washuu and raising a hand. "I ... gathered my confidence, and my willpower, and threw a ball of ki at it when it attacked me. I think it ... got stuck in the wall. Like I knocked its ... phasing?" He paused, while Washuu nodded, motioning him to continue. "I hit it while it was coming through the wall, and I think it got stuck. So I ... I used the soul of ice. I made it cold ... but it stabbed me with its claw when I touched it."

Washuu's jaw dropped, her eyes widening in surprise. "You made it cold?" she pressed.

Ranma shivered, nodding. "Yeah. I made it cold, and it froze, then I hit it, and ... part of it broke, but it bled on me... Bled to death, I guess. The blood ate through the floor, and I think I breathed some of the smoke, but I ... I kept the girls safe." He shivered again, staring at the water blankly, and dropped his hand back into the water with a soft splash.

Washuu recovered herself, remembering that there was plenty of time to examine Ranma's abilities later. "Yes, a good portion of the damage was the toxic fumes in your lungs. Some of the other toxins got on you, also. They're very powerful - they have to be in order to break down the things that they eat. You're very lucky."

Ranma raised his head, studying Washuu closely. "Yes," he said slowly, "I am."

The scientist fell silent, only able to stare at Ranma and wonder.

XXX

Ranma said nothing after that, brooding about something or another. Washuu didn't feel the need to pry, though the return of his memories probably caused the boy to shift the way he was thinking, from the first few minutes she had started to know him.

But those few moments told Washuu about his core personality. He was a somewhat self-assured person, but seemed eager to look for direction... He had a strong will, but he also had a very vulnerable portion of himself, one that desired closeness. Not that she could fault him. Years upon years of time alone in ... exile ... told her that solitude was vastly overrated.

Though Mihoshi could make her wonder... She shook her head, dismissing the thought, and climbed out of the bath, humming slightly as she redressed. Ranma emerged a moment later, shadowing her silently and re-clothing himself in his battle apparel.

Washuu clicked her tongue appraisingly, observing, "We'll have to find you some clothes... It's getting late - we should probably find Yosho and discuss plans."

He nodded, asking, "What happened to my old clothes?"

The redhead snickered, already walking towards the house below the giant floating bathhouse. "Well, there's a big hole in the chest from where some big monster made a hole in _you_, and then there's the blood-stains, and the toxic sludge from the reaver... I could fix them for you, but we don't have a lot of time. It would be faster to grab some old clothing from Yosho. Now let's hurry."

She trotted to the house, easily paced by Ranma, then paused suddenly, startling the boy. "Oh yes," she added, smirking, "you need the practice, so try levitating more, why don't you?"

He blinked at that, then nodded, muttering, "I guess I'd better get used to it..." Washuu rolled her eyes as he lifted slightly off the ground and began trailing after the scientist, apparently unconcerned with his new power.

Washuu frowned, considering that. "You adjusted to that quickly enough."

Ranma nodded, scratching behind one ear irritably. "Yeah, well... I've got a lot of practice jumping around and doing acrobatics." He paused for a moment before smiling ruefully, and adding, "Guess the hard part is just getting used to the whole 'not landing' thing."

The scientist nodded again, pausing one final time at the entrance to the house. "Hmm..." she mused, pointing towards the edge of the property. "Looks like we'll lose the bathhouse sometime tomorrow." She sighed, shaking her head.

Ranma stared towards the spot she indicated for a long moment, then frowned. "I think ... I kind of see something there... What is it?"

The woman shrugged, gesturing towards it dismissively. "You can probably sense the reaver out there. You remember the lab, right?" At Ranma's blank stare, she added, "Where you woke up?" Rewarded with a nod from the boy, she continued, "The reavers are able to breach dimensional barriers to a certain degree. My lab was placed here, but is actually five times the size of this planet."

Ranma stared at her for a long moment, then frowned. "I ... kinda ... feel it. Like it's ... like it's there, but ... it's not." He sighed, scratching behind his ear more roughly. "It's ... weird."

She blinked, surprised. "You can feel it?" She shook her head again, frowning in confusion. "Anyway ... the lab sits roughly on top of this property, no more than a few miles in any direction from the door in the house." She gestured towards the interior of the house, before pointing towards the edge of the property again. "The reavers are able to occupy the overlapping spaces simultaneously, but this means that when they see pocket dimensions, like the one the lab is in, they have to interact with them all at once. Do you understand?"

Ranma furrowed his brow in thought, squinting his eyes and sighing. "Um ... so it's kind of like ... playing a game where you have to cross a playground using the lines on the ground, and even though they're not real you can't touch the shadows? The things that are there, but aren't?"

Washuu blinked again. "Actually," she said, "that's not a bad analogy ... it's more complex than that, but you understand it at least... Anyway, it's more than just one set of lines and shadows, it's several thousands of them. They have to interact with _all_ of them, which means that they have to smash their way through almost every defense that the lab has before they can get anywhere, not to mention all of the solid objects in their way. Also, from inside the lab, it seems like each one reaver is actually several thousand, because of the overlapping spaces.

"Now, normally the lab would stop any threat like this easily, but these are a special case..." she trailed off, frowning and staring at her feet. Sighing, she began again, "They were designed to destroy Juraian cities, and dimensional pockets in particular. So this place attracts them ... but they also know not to congregate, or they would be destroyed with nuclear explosions."

Ranma startled at that. "Nuclear explosions? Here?"

Washuu shrugged, "Nuclear energies were not in use when the reavers were developed, but they actually seem to be somewhat effective."

The boy blinked, confused. "What ... what's the story behind that? How old are these things, and what's a 'Juraian'?"

Frowning thoughtfully, Washuu turned and opened the door to the household. "Hmm ... do you remember the announcement after the reavers started to spread out and the news got to the public?"

Ranma nodded slowly. "I think so ... it was a few weeks ago, and there was some blonde girl on the news saying that there was a safe planet for everyone to go to ... or something about a 'Galaxy Police' ... something..."

Washuu pursed her lips as she took a seat before the television screen. "Mm ... yes, that. One of the places that she said to send ships to was Jurai, which happens to be the planet where everyone else who lives here went to get aid. Unfortunately, litigation, red tape, and who-knows-what-else have slowed things down substantially... As things stand, though, some Galaxy Police and Juraian craft are on the way." She sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "In the meantime, I'd like to find a way to deal with the reavers. I simply don't have the time to prepare a counter for them, and anything I can do is suspect anyway."

Ranma nodded, bobbing slowly in the air above the table. "Oh. Is that what I'm for?"

The scientist winced anew at that. "I ... no, I didn't save you to be a weapon, Ranma. I brought you back to ask you for help. You can say no, if you wish." The scientist crossed her arms beneath her chest and sighed. "I'm sorry..."

The boy seemed hesitant for a moment, then drifted away from the table and lit upon the floor. "I guess..." he said slowly. "I'm not ... I mean, I would have been dead otherwise, so complaining would be silly." He nodded decisively. "I'll do it. They tried to get ... to get..." He trailed off, frowning. "I can't remember," he admitted, "but I'll do everything I can to help anyway.

XXX

He stood near Funaho, resting one hand against the smooth bark, head bowed. "No," he said softly, "I love this world too much to abandon it."

The tree hummed softly, bright points of light twinkling among the leaves as they swayed against the wind, then pouring downward and reflecting off of the pool surrounding it.

The man nodded slowly. "I ... I am glad, then, that you too, love this world..."

Sighing, he turned his back to the tree, resting his back against its trunk and slipping to rest between two large roots. "They were made to hunt you, I think."

The tree's response played out in soft lights, spelling out its message in a method too complex for mere words to convey.

"I will do everything within my power, but ... I do not know. I am loathe to let them harm you."

The tree hummed softly once more, then fell quiescent.

Rising to his feet wearily, Yosho nodded. "Tenchi has the Tenchi-ken with him ... I am left with nothing..." Sighing bitterly, he shook his head. "I will do what I can though, I promise this..." Trailing off, and realizing the futility of his words, he trudged away, barely able to muster the will to hop from stone to stone across the still pond's surface.

XXX

The door to the main room slid open and Yosho entered, kicking off his shoes before stepping out of the entryway, raising an eyebrow at the sounds of hushed conversation and a pleasant smell from the kitchen.

Nodding to himself, he wended his way to the source of the noise, momentarily thankful for the noise and brightness against the oppressive darkness of the inevitable and encroaching reavers.

He frowned upon entering the kitchen, seeing the boy that Washuu had rescued previously floating near the scientist as she wandered around the kitchen, lecturing him about parallel space and dimensional pockets.

The boy's eyes flashed towards Yosho and he grounded himself instantly, coming to rest in a loose, relaxed stance, but one that the older man knew instantly meant readiness. He came to a halt, raising both of his hands. "Hello, there."

The boy relaxed very slightly, seeming to wait on confirmation from Washuu that it was okay to do so.

At that moment, Washuu was scrutinizing a small sample of her own cooking and nodding to herself. Turning towards the man, she smiled, pointing a wooden spoon at Ranma. "Yosho-dono, meet Saotome Ranma, our newest ally!"

Yosho let his grave air slip, trying to relax, and desperately hoping that he would get along with the boy. "Nice to meet you, Saotome-san." He offered a sincere smile, and a polite bow.

Ranma's eyes flickered once towards Washuu before he bowed in return, slightly more deeply. "Um ... nice to meet you too, um ... Masaki...san. But you can just call me Ranma."

Yosho nodded, as Washuu turned back to a merrily burbling pot. "Then for now, you can just call me Yosho, Ranma." He considered very carefully what was going on. It was odd enough for Washuu to not refer to the boy as a project, considering what she had done for and to him, but it was even odder for her to busy herself about the kitchen. The last time she had done that...

He pushed the thought from his mind, taking a seat on the stool near the kitchen's small island, currently littered with vegetable remnants and a discarded vegetable knife.

Ranma relaxed, drifting slightly upwards and resting in the air. "You guys sure seem to like carrots."

Washuu snorted, shaking her head and turning off a burner. "Oh, that's mostly Ryo-oh-ki."

Ranma furrowed his brow in thought, muttering softly, "'Oh-ki'... What about Ran-oh-ki? You mentioned that name before, too."

The scientist clucked her tongue, herding both Ranma and Yosho out of the kitchen with the spoon. "I told you," she chastised him, "he's not ready yet. Now help Yosho-dono set the table."

Ranma lit on the ground and padded after the older man as he retrieved a small pile of dishes. "Don't worry," Yosho commented, glancing out the windows towards the darkness. "I think we have a few days yet, before they get this far." Ranma's demeanor darkened instantly at that.

XXX

Washuu stood before the doorway to her lab, her habitual sleeping quarters lying deep within. On occasion, she slept in Tenchi's room, when the fear of loneliness got to be too much to bear, but that was no longer an option, and something seemed ... odd ... about requesting to sleep near Yosho, even if it was for a legitimate reason, like avoiding the reavers.

Sighing, she rubbed at her temples and stared at the door. The problem wouldn't go away on its own, and despite the fact that she did not need to sleep for days at a time, she had gotten precious little rest of late. Nodding decisively, she turned her back to the door, aware in a peripheral sense of Yosho nearby, and marched to the couch. She could sleep there easily enough, and avoid the horrendous emptiness of the lab and its erosion.

XXX

"This used to be Nobuyuki's room, but he gave it to Mihoshi when he left for his apartment." Yosho fell silent for a moment, glancing out the window and towards the faint glow of light on the horizon that Washuu had identified as Okayama. "At any rate, make yourself comfortable, and rest here tonight. We'll meet up in the morning and discuss what happens next."

Ranma nodded, mumbling a quiet thanks and waiting for the older man to leave before eyeing the bed uncomfortably, finally pulling the blankets onto the floor.

He lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling for a long while before his eyes drifted shut and a tremulous tapping at the door gained his attention. Frowning, he rose and opened the panel.

Slightly disheveled, and more than a little sheepish, Washuu stood, wearing a pair of light-blue pajamas patterned with small red crabs. "Um," she started slowly, glancing nervously at the open window, "my bedroom is in the lab, and I wondered..."

He nodded silently, gesturing towards the bed, still empty. Washuu smirked, dragging a heavy blanket and a spare pillow from a closet onto the bed before curling up on it, facing Ranma as he lay on the floor staring at the ceiling. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice sounding uncertain.

He nodded again, turning to glance towards her before looking back to the ceiling as it faintly glowed from the reflected moonlight off of the lake. "I'm..." he trailed off, frowning. "I'm not used to sleeping alone," he said at length. "I usually sleep near ... Pops."

Washuu smiled at that. "You miss him?"

Something in her expression said that she knew the answer before he spoke. "I ... think so. My head still feels like it's muddled, though. I'm not sure."

She said nothing for a long time, simply relaxing, her breaths coming deeper and more slowly. "Well, maybe we can arrange to find him. I don't think we can stay here much longer." She shook her head, yawning. "We'll worry about that tomorrow..." she mumbled.

He smiled softly. Being alone could be unsettling, and the comfort of her presence warmed him. It wasn't the same as his father, but he knew even with his fuzzy memories that he needed something to protect, more than anything. If he could protect her...

Yawning tiredly, he turned, his back towards her, and allowed himself to drift to sleep.

XXX

Tenchi sat very still, trying his best to look imposing in the Juraian formal clothing that Ayeka had picked out. Before him, placed evenly about the great oval table of the Juraian Supreme Council's table sat the governing bodies of Jurai, the Emperor himself at the far end, his wives at his side. Funaho's position as the Inspector General of Information gave her a seat to the Emperor's left, while Misaki sat to his right in her role of Supreme Commander of the Royal bodyguard.

He wouldn't have thought it from his initial meeting with the woman, but Misaki's demeanor turned very cold and professional in the political arena. Funaho, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed, and casual ... perhaps it was more fitting, considering her role. The Emperor himself wore the same grimly set features that Tenchi had grown used to after their initial meeting.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, the boy relaxed at the feelings of reassurance that he felt from Ayeka. Ryouko herself was forbidden entrance to the Council chamber, and instead remained in the quarters that Tenchi was issued. Opulent as they were, they could easily house the entire population of Tenchi's high school, but Ryouko had termed it 'confining'. Despite her complaints, she remained there, attended by Ayeka's guardians. The Juraian people were nervous of Ryouko, and the Juraian princess had suggested she remain as subtle as possible, less they risk the fate of the Earth.

To Tenchi's right sat Tsunami, and while Tenchi knew that she meant well, the ruby-eyed woman made him nervous. Clearing his throat, he placed his palm on a small blue disk on the table, indicating that he wished the meeting to continue.

His right as a supplicant could not be denied, giving the majority of the council cause to sigh and hang their heads as the meeting was extended again.

One of the councilmen nodded wearily, indicating that Tenchi should continue. "Now, Tenchi-san, we do share your concern for colonial planet 0-316-"

"You mean colonial planet 0-315, and it's _Earth_," Tenchi corrected, overriding the man's speech. "What reasons are there to _not_ help as much as you can?" He stopped himself off there, trying to retain control over his temper, and rubbing at the trefoil symbol on his forehead that he knew would be there. Tsunami's presence seemed to call it, but he was afraid it would glow with the intensity of his emotion.

Ayeka cut in smoothly, stating, "We have decided to rethink our stance, and would request to reconvene tomorrow, after everyone has had a chance to rest." Her soft voice made the request seem meek - almost pleading. The Council agreed after a moment, everyone rising to their feet and stretching, groaning and muttering among themselves at they wandered off, attending whatever other duties remained to be dealt with.

The Juraian princess smoothed back her hair, her experience in the political arena allowing her to retain her composure as everyone - including her parents - slowly departed. Tsunami rose to her feet silently, and stepped a few paces away from Tenchi. He was unsure why she did so, but was comforted none-the-less.

XXX

Tsunami trailed behind Ayeka and Tenchi as they whispered together. She could have heard them, but respected their privacy, as they slowly wended their way towards the quarters that Tenchi had been assigned. The Emperor did not approve of Ayeka or Sasami sharing quarters with Tenchi, but Funaho had overridden his objections.

And Tsunami ... they had no obvious opinions on that - Tsunami was Jurai, and could do as she wished. Except order that all of Tenchi's demands be met. Certainly, they seemed to kowtow to her every other whim, but when the Emperor was concerned, things became strained. He was a politician, and she was a goddess ... but in part, she was also theoretically his daughter, and hence, he held power over her.

Added to that, he did not respect her opinions as much as he respected _her_, meaning that he sided with the Council in most matters, even sending more aid to Earth.

She slowed slightly as Tenchi and Ayeka drew ahead, realizing that she was dodging the issue. As Tsunami, she had her own quarters, or could reclaim her old quarters, should she wish it. But then ... she wanted to be with Tenchi, with Ayeka and Ryouko ... she felt so terribly alone and distant from people. Respect was one thing, but affection was almost nowhere to be found.

She was unhappy with the way that the turn of events had pushed Tenchi, causing a rift to form; a rift she feared he would be too frightened to cross. Ahead of her, where she had stopped at an intersection of corridors, Tenchi gestured absently, muttering darkly, and shooting a glance behind him at something behind her, as the door to his apartments opened, then shut. She sighed, unhappy, and stared at the closed wooden door for a time, trying to distract herself with the structure of it; thick vines wrapped around narrow logs, giving it a very soft, friendly feel. Just like the doors to Ayeka's room. Or Sasami's.

Swallowing to herself, she turned away, walking slowly and sedately down the corridor. Of course, she had been foolish to make such an assumption - that the invitation would extend to her - but ... Tenchi had never seemed _that_ distant to her before, and had always been so kind and friendly to Sasami. Yet...

Closing her eyes, she walked down the corridor, a path that was firmly etched in her memory, one that she knew would be with her forever. Following the path engraved in her heart to its end, she opened her eyes before her tree. The First of the Ouke no Ki. She lay a hand on the smooth bark of the tree that was also her, contemplating. With her powers, she could enter the tree, and exit any other Ouke no Ki in the universe.

It would be oh-so-easy to escape, and simply run away, but she couldn't ... even if he was afraid of her, she loved Tenchi too much to let him go without at least trying. But what could she do? Even as Sasami, her extended time as Tsunami would make them nervous, and Sasami's fears of Ayeka seeing her as not being the 'real' Sasami were slowly coming to pass.

Such a sad, silly thing ... and it created a rift between her and all she loved. She had Ryouko's continued mistrust, though the woman was no less kind to Tsunami than she had been to Sasami, she was largely just indifferent. Ryo-oh-ki seemed to not mind at all ... but Tsunami had no place in Jurai. She was a symbol, and the Juraian people grew nervous when she drew near.

Sasami was used to odd reactions from the palace staff, usually respectful ... but they were nearly reverent to Tsunami, because she was so much to their society.

Tsunami knelt on the ring surrounding her tree-self and stared at her hands, musing. Possibly one of the greatest powers in the universe, and it robbed her of everything she treasured. It simply wouldn't be seemly for the 'Goddess of Jurai' to cook. It wasn't appropriate for her to play with small animals, like Ryo-oh-ki, or any of the countless other creatures that she had loved. It wasn't seemly for her to embrace her sister, or Tenchi, or even her own mother.

Tenchi was nervous of the figure that was so revered. Ayeka saw a being that had replaced her sister, as did Misaki. The Emperor, Sasami's father, was more understanding, maybe, but was simply too cold to be of any comfort.

The aching loneliness bit at her - she was, in truth, a simple creature, with simple needs. She simply wanted ... to be wanted. And no one _here_ wanted her...

There were then, two people that Tsunami could go to, even as Sasami. Washuu, and maybe Yosho, despite the obvious danger it posed. Steeling herself with a deep breath, she stepped into the tree, willing herself to be _elsewhere_. She could return in the morning, after all.

XXX

Tenchi sat at the small table in the foremost sitting room, poking idly at the dishes Ayeka had ordered brought and made moody by the tremendous responsibilities thrust upon him. Ayeka sat opposite him, while Ryouko sat at his side - nearly in his lap.

Ryouko pouted nervously, trying to draw the boy into a hug, which he only partially resisted. "What's wrong, Tenchi?" she purred, trying to mask her discomfort.

Ayeka, for her part, restrained herself remarkably, settling for clearing her throat, which in turn caused Ryouko to back off, pouting more deeply but with less nervousness.

After a moment, Tenchi shook his head, pushing his plate away. "I'm just ... confused ... and there's so much going on, and I'm worried about Grandpa, and Father, and..." He trailed off, sighing. "I need to sleep, I'm tired."

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should track Sasami - Tsunami, he corrected himself. If he should track Tsunami down and apologize; he could tell her that he just wasn't sure how to deal with the ... differences ... between her and Sasami. And that he missed Sasami, but...

He shivered, knowing somehow without looking that the trefoil mark on his head was gone, and that he had lost his chance. "Damn," he whispered, climbing to his feet and trudging towards the sleeping quarters. Well, there would be tomorrow, after the meetings...

XXX

Slipping in through the door and no longer Tsunami, but not truly completely Sasami either, a young girl entered the Masaki house, creeping towards the stairs and Tenchi's room. She halted before his door, half-remembering from her extended fusion, and blinked.

Her pink eyes flashed in the darkness, brimming with moisture at the dim recollections of rejection. "No," she whimpered, sinking to her knees. She had come here for help, and Tenchi had promised ... promised...

"No..." Shivering, she moved down the hall, and balked again before the room she habitually shared with her sister. Her sister was not here, and ... and she acted as though Sasami were no longer her sister.

Swallowing, she spun, seeking desperately for something to chase off the loneliness before she remembered, half on her own, and half through that strengthening, but fuzzy veil that seemed to chase her thoughts so often...

Washuu. Washuu would accept her, or Katsuhito, if he were around. But even Ryo-oh-ki was missing... Where was everyone?

"Hello?" she called out tremulously. "Is ... is anyone home at all?"

Shivering again in the darkness, she crept down the stairs towards Washuu's laboratory, pushing away the odd sensations behind the veil in her mind. Washuu was probably still awake, since she rarely ever seemed to sleep.

Humming happily to herself, she pushed open the door and entered the lab, unmindful of the clanking of the crab-shaped bell, or the flashing red lights within its eyes and their silent warning.

XXX

Ranma woke suddenly, bolting upright and sinking through the floor before he collected himself. Drifting down through a library, he stopped, floating amids one of the largest collections of shoujou manga that he had ever seen. Washuu's voice drifted down to him as she swiftly descended the stairs. "You felt it too? It's the lab - let's hurry."

He nodded, drifting to the lab door and waiting impatiently for the diminutive scientist to arrive. He scowled as she pushed the door open, feeling a tingling sensation along his spine as the parallel space was moved into closer alignment. Brushing past Washuu, he drifted through the doorway, following the growing sense of urgency emanating from...

He frowned, rubbing at the gem on his wrist, and scowling as it suddenly flared a deep green, twinkling. He heard Washuu exclaim something as he darted forward, a faint and distant shriek of terror echoing from deep within the laboratory.

XXX

Sasami's eyes widened and she pushed back at the veil in her mind - something was changing behind it, urgently calling to her, but she ignored it, backing away in a panic. Before her, a mass of shiny black armor coated ... thing ... seemed to struggle with the air, giant claws sweeping towards her, only to come to a halt suddenly. The sound of metal grating across metal sounded, and the monstrosity seemed to mimic clawing something apart, then backing away, and ... eating?

Sasami swallowed nervously, unsure and only knowing for certain that the creature was inching forward, already cutting into her path to safety. Washuu was nowhere to be seen, and this monster was not helping matters.

Slinking away from the monster, she huddled away in a corner, whimpering. "Tenchi-nii-san!" But he was nowhere to be seen, having disappeared like Washuu had.

The monster kept its mechanical motions, varying slightly upwards, or down, but moving forward ever so slowly, inching towards her. Shivering in fear, the girl let a shriek of terror escape, not knowing what else to do.

There was a sudden flash, then, and Sasami bounded to her feet, still pressing herself to the wall. "Ryouko-" She cut herself off suddenly, staring at the newcomer, so much like Ryouko, were she to be a boy. She had seen Ryouko don a similar outfit, at one time, but... The boy snarled fiercely at the creature, dropping into a crouch, then _leaping_ at the monster, feet lashing out to smash into its carapace.

The monster shrieked, then backed away, waving the larger pair of forward claws menacingly and squaring off with the boy. He snorted, smirking, and took a loose, relaxed stance, eyeing his opponent. The monster, Sasami realized, was more then equipped to hurt the boy - he had only bare hands and feet, while the ... thing ... had eight appendages, all of which were tipped with nasty and dangerous looking points and jagged barbs.

XXX

Ranma relaxed, allowing his memories of proper stances to flood back into him. But how to fight the creature? It was huge! And to keep this new little girl safe, of course...

It snarled again, sweeping a pair of appendages towards him like a giant pair of scissors, each tipped with wickedly jagged barbs. He ducked, throwing himself to the ground and only narrowly avoiding being caught, then lashed out with a foot, aiming for the thing's ... face?

Head-like-area, at any rate. It recoiled from the force of the kick, but seemed otherwise unaffected, sweeping its claws apart once more. Ranma pushed himself off of the floor, momentarily winning the battle against gravity, and dodged another attack, landing another fierce kick to the creature, which succeeded in momentarily staggering it.

Scowling, he realized that he wasn't making any headway - he simply wasn't able to do enough damage to the thing. Yelling, he rushed, ducking under an attack, and attempting to grapple it. It looked like he might be able to flip it over onto its back, like a turtle. He knew he could make it cold, but was worried that the backlash from such an attempt would hurt the girl.

He grunted in pain when he closed with the thing's leg - it was covered in sharp, spiny protrusions, some of which seeped pale colored and stinging ichor. Heaving, calling upon strength he did not know he possessed, he raised the monster into the air, wincing as a pair of claws rent the space near him, coming perilously close. He paused, momentarily stunning himself with the fact that he was able to lift the monster above him, since he was certain the thing had to weigh more than most small cars, before slamming it into the ground. It screeched, floor-plates buckling upward around it as Ranma drove it down.

Staggering back, out of reach of the flailing limbs, Ranma rubbed at the bloody streak running from his shoulder to his hip, then noticing his hands. He hissed, seeing the raw wounds, some of them discolored with the pale ichor.

Spitting towards it derisively, he took a deep breath, allowing the adrenaline to fade from his system, and the pain to slowly come through. A wave of dizziness swept through him, reminding him of what Washuu had told him earlier. Their blood was toxic, and so were the fumes from it. "Aww..." He bit his tongue, eyeing the girl.

Her eyes remained fixed on the monster, and he turned belatedly to look at it. The legs had stopped thrashing in the air, instead arcing downward and bending its joints backwards. Ranma's eyes widened in disbelief as the limbs fully reversed their orientation, allowing the reaver to rise again. "No way!" he breathed.

Washuu rounded the far corner, backpedaling as she saw the monster. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes quickly scanning over to Ranma, and her expression twisting to confusion as she saw the girl. "Sasami?" she asked.

The girl nodded, still staring at the creature in horror. Ranma waited, but the creature seemed bent on attacking the space before him, still a good half-meter away from him, and at least twice that from the girl - Sasami. He relaxed slightly, wincing as the soreness caught his attention again. "Washuu, what the heck am I supposed to do with this thing?" he asked.

The diminutive scientist shook her head, remembering the situation at hand, and turned to Ranma. "Beat it the same way you did the last one! Remember?"

He stared at the monster, then frowned. "Uh ... I don't want to hurt the girl; she's kinda in the way..."

Washuu stared at him, hard, then shook her head, setting her hands on her hips as though the monster weren't an immediate threat. "Then pick her up and bring her to safety!"

Ranma nodded belatedly, turning and gathering up the entirely unresisting girl in his arms. He turned again, eyeing the monster and frowned, calculating. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Hang on tight!"

The girl did just that, her arms circling his neck as she curled herself into a ball, huddling into his chest. Darting along, making sure to shield the girl with his own body, Ranma leapt across the corridor to where Washuu waited, tapping her foot impatiently. The creature lashed out, one lightning-fast strike that Ranma _knew_ was going to hit him making a high-pitched keening whistle as it cleft the air.

Struggling frantically, he willed himself to somehow move faster and momentarily surprised both himself and Washuu when he sped up, flipping over and slamming into the wall behind her.

The girl coughed, shaken up, but Ranma had absorbed most of the impact himself. "Ow," he groaned, still stuck into the now-cratered wall, Sasami held to his chest protectively. Washuu stared at him, incredulous, then stepped forward and helped the girl down.

"Ranma?" she asked, her voice confused.

"Uh ... yeah?" he said, pushing himself out of the wall and remembering - this time - to float to the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"I ... uh ... kind of forgot about the entire ... power ... thing." He sighed, raising a hand before belatedly realizing he would smear blood through his hair if he continued. Grumbling, he shook his head, dropping his hand to his side again. "Those things are nasty!"

Washuu nodded, eyeing the wounds dubiously. "Right ... maybe you should try not to use your bare hands, Ranma."

He stared at her dumbly. "Huh?"

Wincing, Washuu held a hand towards him and clenched it into a fist, causing him to step backwards as a red, blade-like, glowing bar of energy sprang forth, humming quietly in the air. "I forgot to mention it to you, but you can generate these, too. And right now, you probably should."

She shook her head, gesturing towards the creature. "I'm not fast enough to handle it myself, or I would. Ranma ... try and be careful, okay?"

He nodded, staring at his hand and wondering... "Uh..." He nearly asked her for help, but shook his head, stubborn pride temporarily overriding common sense. If she could make a glowing sword out of thin air, then so could he.

Gathering himself, he focused. How did one go about generating glowing sticks of light? He clenched his fist in frustration, willing it to happen, but ... _there_. It was a sensation ... he closed his eyes, relaxing, and sought the sensation out. It was like a muscle he had never flexed before, how did he...

He cleared his mind, trying to reach it, but it slipped from his grasp, elusive. Heaving an exasperated sigh, he opened his eyes, seeing both Washuu and Sasami staring at him expectantly. Swallowing, he managed a smile, knowing that the reaver was inching ever closer. "Oh ... boy," he whispered.

Soul of ice. He calmed himself, throwing his focus into that single moment of perfectly centered self, seeking out the ice that lay within, and the control it yielded to him. In a heartbeat, he had it, and a blazing sphere of shimmering blue lay across his outstretched hand.

He grinned, not letting the soul of ice slip, and clenched a fist around it. As though obliging an unspoken request, the light ... shifted ... a bar of it before him, like a long dagger, and below, a shorter bar and an odd sphere. He waved it experimentally, surprised at its weight and resistance to movement.

Shaking his head, he swept past the girls, not really noticing as he formed a second blade in his other hand. The reaver, sensing his approach, backed off slightly, allowing itself more room to maneuver.

He leapt towards the monster, arms held behind him as he flew forward, like a bird of prey. It raised a claw to block his passage, and another in an attempt to spear him. The claws met with his blades, neither yielding immediately. Ranma gritted his teeth, willing himself to move _forward_, trying to force his levitation to become more a part of the attack and lending its power to his.

Sparks flew from the contact, as the energy of the blade slowly carved through the thick reinforcements of the reaver's carapace, and behind that, frost slowly spread across the creature's limbs.

Snarling, Ranma pressed his advantage, sensing that his victory was near. He was only able to gawk, stunned, when one of the reaver's rear legs suddenly whipped around, slashing him across the face as he narrowly evaded being cleft in two.

His frantic throw backwards carried him to safety before the reaver could follow up. He shook himself, wiping at the blood irritably and scowling. The monster had learned to fight him quickly!

Leaping upwards again, Ranma avoided another series of strikes, descending on the monster's back and driving his twin blades against the carapace.

The creature howled, and Ranma rolled off of its ... back? The creature had flipped over, Ranma remembered, so that must be its underbelly. A claw descended towards him, narrowly missing the boy, and instead driving itself deep into the monster's own carapace. Ranma stared at it dumbly, stunned that it would do such a thing to itself. Shaking his head, he took advantage of the opportunity, this time hacking at the leg's joint, hoping the armor would be weaker there.

With one of its legs pinned in its own hide, the monster was not effectively able to counter, and Ranma drove his blades against the joint, managing to slowly sever the trapped limb. Yanking savagely, he pulled it off, revealing a frozen mass of pale yellow tissue behind it.

Grimacing, he let his blades vanish, remembering how he killed the last one. Yelling savagely, he struck the creature, driving his fist through the frozen mess and unleashing a deluge of its ichor upon himself.

Gagging, Ranma staggered away, trying not to scream at the pain as the acid ate into his flesh. He stumbled towards the wide-eyed Washuu and Sasami, sinking to his knees. "Damn it!" he cursed. "This hurts!"

Washuu blinked, and Ranma felt an odd ... tingling ... sensation reverberate through him. When it finished, the pain was gone. Surprised, he got to his feet and looked himself over, noting that he had changed. "Hey," Ranma said slowly, looking down at his - now 'her' - body. "What happened?"

Washuu shook herself out of her reverie and motioned Ranma to follow her. "Like I said," she explained, "when you take too much damage, you convert to your smaller mass form." Sasami stared at Ranma in a bemused sort of shock, even as Washuu led her away down the corridor. "You could change back now, but if you know what's good for you, you won't. You'll need to replace some of the mass you lost in the battle, first."

Ranma blinked, thinking she understood. "Uh ... okay. So ... who is she, and how did she get here?"

Washuu frowned, still leading Sasami away. "This is Sasami, and she's a Juraian princess. I'm not sure why she's here, but I think she's in shock from the reaver attack. At any rate, let's find Yosho-dono, and have some tea. I doubt I'm going to get back to sleep right away." The last was said with a bit of disappointed regret, causing Ranma to wince.

"I know what you mean ... hard to sleep after seeing that..." Ranma frowned, feeling herself over. "Why aren't I hurt anymore?" she asked. "I mean, I can understand that I shouldn't be hurt as much, but ... not at all?"

Washuu smirked, nodding to herself. "I am the greatest scientific genius in the universe, after all. Why would I make it so you kept the damage if you didn't need to?"

Ranma frowned again. "Doesn't that mean that I can change at will if I want to get rid of a bruise or a cut, or something?"

Washuu nodded. "Of course. Once you learn the trick of it, you should be able to heal without changing, too."

Nodding, Ranma ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at its spikiness as it resumed its previous shape after her hand passed through it. "Anyway ... what's going on with the, er... What's going on with Sasami?"

Washuu frowned, tapping one finger against her lower lip thoughtfully as she reached the lab's exit. "I'm not sure. We'll have to ask her ... when she's feeling more up to it, I suppose." Ranma nodded, moving to sit on the couch in the living room, but halted by Washuu's warning call, "Wait, Ranma!" At Ranma's questioning gaze, she explained, "You're going to need to wash up, before you touch any of the furniture.

She blinked, looking down at herself, then again at Washuu. Washuu frowned, shaking her head. "And of course, ladies first, so ... you'll have to wait for Sasami and I to return." She nodded and led Sasami away. Ranma winced, seeing the bloodstains she had inadvertently gotten on the girl's clothing, and her long, aquamarine hair.

Sighing, she folded her legs beneath her, floating a half-meter or so above the table. "Wait..." she muttered, looking over her shoulder to the giant floating outdoor bathhouse. Blinking, she turned, noting that Washuu had led Sasami down a hallway. Tentative investigation revealed sounds of splashing water and hushed voices behind one of the doors, but she elected not to pursue further, dimly remembering an association between baths and violence again.

Shrugging, Ranma exited the house and drifted towards the outdoor onsen. If they wanted to use the one, when there were two, then there shouldn't be a problem with her using the other...

She lit upon the entrance, pleased to note that it was still brightly lit within. She peered in, seeing no one, and focused for a moment, willing her bodysuit to disappear. That done, she wandered over to the washing area, frowning at the steaming water of the baths as she grabbed a rag and began to scrub herself.

XXX

Slowly coming to her senses again, the first thing she was aware of was fingers pressing down into her scalp, gently scrubbing shampoo into her hair. She blinked, noticing a few faint streamers of red in the water over the tile on the floor of the bathing area, and knowing that whatever it was, it had been taken behind that clouded veil in the back of her head.

Probably not important, really. She heard a mutter behind her, where whoever was helping her bathe was kneeling. She turned her head slowly, managing to get a bit of shampoo into one eye. "Ack!" she exclaimed, blinking the tears away as she saw the diminutive redhead smiling sardonically at her.

"Feeling better, Sasami-chan?"

The girl nodded, wondering what had felt unwell in the first place. "Washuu-chan? What happened?"

Shrugging, Washuu dumped a pitcher of cold water over Sasami's head, rinsing the lather out of her eyes. "Oh, probably nothing to worry about at the moment, really. Do you remember meeting Ranma?"

She nodded slowly, dimly remembering some things that the veil was not strong enough to hide. There had been a monster ... a giant, horrible creature, and a boy with midnight-black hair and frighteningly blue eyes... "I think so ... he has blue eyes?"

Washuu snorted, hiding a smile and nodding. "Oh, then you remember him well enough. I'll reintroduce you to him later, though. Now, turn around so I can scrub your back!"

XXX

Ranma sighed, eyeing the warm water suspiciously. Washuu had said that she had best remain in female form until she could replace the lost mass, and that probably meant eating, which suited Ranma just fine. Healing from eating was a definite plus in her book, since she liked both being healthy, and eating. And if the one led to the other...

Shaking her head, she tried to focus, remembering what Washuu had said about control. Someone named Tsunami had told _her_ that Ranma should have better control over the curse. Well, control at all would be an improvement...

Steeling herself and smirking at the irony, she dipped one leg into the hot water, feeling a tingling sensation that swept through her, seeming to collide with her steeled will, as though she were keeping the change at bay. Her smile widening, she sank into the water, releasing a contented sigh.

It was odd to force the curse at bay, especially since she wanted nothing more than to do away with it ... but the novelty of control was intriguing. Perhaps less a curse and more a tool... She giggled, stifling the noise and looking about herself, mortified that someone might have heard the ... girlish ... sound.

Realizing that she was still alone, she relaxed, sighing. A discarded hand-mirror lay near Ranma's side, on the edge of the bath. A bright pink plastic frame, and a small smudge on one corner. She rubbed at the smudge absently, before turning the mirror over and examining it.

A crudely scrawled, 'Mihoshi,' was inscribed on the reverse of the mirror, and the smudge came off easily. Nodding to herself, Ranma flipped it over again, studying her reflection. Her face seemed the same as it had, perhaps a little more weathered, but... No, it was the same, she decided.

Still disgustingly 'cute,' still with red hair, though no longer in the boyish pigtail, and instead... She grimaced, holding her breath and sinking below the surface of the water. She emerged a moment later, shaking the water out of her eyes, and noting with some interest that the spikiness was gone, leaving her hair to lie straight down her back, hanging slightly past her shoulders. "Hmm..." she mused, running her hand through it.

As she watched, it seemed to dry itself off, reassuming its previous spiky configuration. Sighing, Ranma set the small hand-mirror on the side of the bath again, staring upwards and musing. The still-blurred images of the girls she had fought for danced through her head, vying for dominance. She remembered a pair of eyes; eyes that could sparkle with a luster that put jewels to shame, and a smile that framed a face...

But she couldn't remember the color of the eyes, or anything about the smile other than it being one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful things she had ever seen. Gone, now. Sent away beyond the stars... Grimacing, she looked upwards, seeing the shining lights still, twinkling in the sky overhead.

And that smile was gone, leaving Ranma alone. She sighed, deciding that it was for the best. She would be safe, at any rate. Safe from the monsters, and some day, perhaps, Ranma could find her again... She nodded to herself. Until then, Ranma had someone to protect, and a world to cleanse for her return.

Stretching against the heat, Ranma leaned back into the wooden rim of the bath, allowing herself to slowly doze off.

XXX

Waking with a start, Ranma blinked, looking around and feeling drained.

He grunted, climbing out of the water, and pausing to look down at himself. A wave of dizziness passed through him, tingling, and he shifted. As she regained her balance from the unexpected change, her head cleared, reminding her of Washuu's warning.

"Of course," she muttered, eyeing the water mistrustfully. Perhaps that had been a bad place to try and sleep. Shaking her head, she summoned her clothing to her again. Frowning at her once-again gloved hands and covered feet, she shook her head, allowing herself to drift outside and wheeled abruptly, a sharp sensation ringing on the back of her neck.

Like an abscess of moonlight, though she could faintly make out the glow of the pre-dawn, she felt more than saw it. A shadow, creeping inexorably closer to the onsen, which had dropped to the level of the lake's surface while she had slept. Steeling herself, Ranma glided forward, preparing to meet yet another reaver. 


	3. Chapter 02

Process of Elimination - Chapter Two

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

Additional tinting provided by: Takahashi, Viz (Inu-Yasha), Sunrise, TV Tokyo/Bandai Entertainment (The Vision of Escaflowne), CLAMP, Kodansha, (Magic Knights Rayearth), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A. (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku), Fujishima Kosuke, (Ah! Megami-sama) and (You're Under Arrest), Miyao Gaku (Devil Hunter Yohko), Takashi Yabara, Viz, SNK (Fatal Fury), Yuzo Takada, A. (Blue Seed), And of course, Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.  


* * *

_"They say fight fire with fire. Makes sense to me to fight monsters with monsters ... but then, who do you make into a monster?"_

- Unknown

XXX

Ranma cracked her knuckles, seeing the shadowed form below her, seemingly unaware of her trajectory.

She let out a shout, descending from her leap like divine retribution upon the unsuspecting creature and slamming into it foot-first. To her surprise, the creature merely flexed slightly, as she skidded across its carapace and smashed into the onsen behind it, narrowly avoiding sliding across one of its spiky, contusion covered legs.

"Ooooh..." she groaned, righting herself, and scowling at the creature as it scuttled away a short distance, points of light gleaming from its hard, armored eyes.

The brightening of the sky allowed her to make more of the thing's features out, revealing the previously unseen maw to the light, glinting and dripping the pale yellow ichor the creatures possessed as blood. The more to damage her should she attack it directly, she noted. The things were built to be a pain to fight; that much was certain.

Glaring, she waited for the creature to advance. Let _it_ make the first move.

But it didn't. Ranma frowned, remembering what Washuu had said - it existed on all dimensional levels simultaneously, and hence, where Ranma was standing at the time must have massive amounts of dimensional space stacked on top of it. She shivered, remembering one of the numbers Washuu had given him while after their bath.

Her lab could cover the surface of the Earth at least three times over, she had said, packed neatly into and above the space for a mile or so around the closet door that had functioned as an entrance. Ranma wasn't certain how much _stuff_ was in all of that space, but she knew that it must be a lot, because the world was a pretty big place. And that meant that even though Ranma couldn't see all of the stacked dimensions - nodes and vertexes, Washuu had called them - the creature she was fighting must be able to move through normal materials with frightening ease.

Shivering again, Ranma tried to think things over. The spaces that she couldn't see still provided her with some advantage, even if she wasn't certain what - or where - they were.

Frowning, she eyed the creature standing near the shore of the lake, and calculated her plan of attack. She remembered quite clearly the first time that she had seen one of the monsters. It was able to simply slide - phase - through things. Ranma knew that she could do the same, but it was still ... unnerving to see the giant monster able to do such a thing.

Regardless, it seemed unable to do it through all of the stacked dimensions simultaneously, and there wasn't much use to it at that moment anyway. Relaxing, she summoned her power to her, allowing the faintly humming blades of blue energy to appear in her hands.

Seeming to sense the energy, the creature altered its stance, backing up the shore a short distance.

She glanced out across the surface of the lake beneath the onsen, considering, then at the blades in her hands. Staring towards the reaver, she hovered over the surface of the lake, plunging the blue beams into the water experimentally. A corona of ice formed around the weapons, spider-webs forming, then breaking apart from the motion of the water.

She frowned, considering, and concentrated, willing the blades to become _colder_, and throwing herself into the soul of ice. The water froze more quickly, this time not breaking beneath the waves, and slowly widened - nearly like an extension of Ranma's will.

The ice spread, thin crackling noises against the crisp morning air sounding as it touched the shore near the reaver. The reaver skittered away quickly, its clawed legs easily finding purchase in the loose soil on the side of the lake.

Ranma opened her mouth to shout in protest before catching herself. She wanted it to jump high enough to smash through the ice, not run across it. Wrenching herself upwards, she vaulted in a great arc above the creature. "Hey!" she yelled. "Hey stupid! Up here - it's me! Where the hell do you think _you're_ going?"

Seeming to hear her, the massive reaver suddenly reversed directions and _leapt_, flying directly towards the girl with its claws extended. Yelping, Ranma dropped herself, narrowly missing a nasty encounter with a pair of slashing appendages, but noting with some horror the strike had been close enough to grab a few passing hairs from her head.

Alarmed, she wrenched her eyes off of the few strands of red hair that were drifting down, instead staring in amazement as the reaver caught itself on ... something ... in the air, and reversed course again. Gawking, Ranma shot upwards, noting with displeased surprise that the reaver caught itself in midair again after passing her.

Realization shone through a moment later. The monster was hanging onto something in another dimension. "Damn!" she swore, realizing that her greatest advantage wasn't as much of an advantage as she would have liked.

Speeding away, she boggled, wondering what the monster was finding purchase _on_ as it drew ever closer. "This sucks!" she yelped, angling towards the lake. Maybe the stupid thing couldn't swim...

She spun in place over the ice she had created earlier - if the monster fell through, it could drown. At least, that was the plan. Skittering across the ice for a moment before it stabbed its claws straight down, it stalked towards her. She grimaced, realizing that her initial plan had failed; the ice was too thick.

"Well," she muttered, girding herself, "let's just settle this the old fashioned way."

Darting towards her suddenly, the reaver leapt, and she ducked beneath it, throwing herself to the ice and sliding under it to rake across its carapace with her blades - to unsettlingly small effect.

She snarled, and the monster skidded to try and halt itself before skittering past the edge of the ice and into the water.

Replacing the snarl with an incredulous expression, Ranma was only able to stare. "Damn things are dumber then they look." Shaking her head, she turned away, stepping across the ice and whistling to herself. "Could have been-"

Vaulting skyward suddenly, she narrowly avoided a giant, piercing claw as it shot through the shelf of ice while the reaver clawed its way towards her. "Damn!" she exclaimed again. "Don't you stupid bugs ever die?"

The reaver snarled - a high pitched, keening noise - and leapt again. Ranma flung herself to the side, momentarily distracted by the thin wisps of steam rising from the reaver as it rebounded from an invisible construct, and towards her again.

She snapped her fingers, darting towards the water. If it gave off heat...

Steeling herself, she phased as she hit the water, not coming into contact with it, but still beneath it. The reaver floundered for a moment, before bunching itself up and swimming easily through the water, squid-like.

Ranma took a deep breath - unsettling herself when she realized that her lungs were filled with water, yet she was still apparently breathing. Shaking off the sensation, she rushed towards the reaver as it reoriented itself towards her, claws first. Trying to lead it into a spiral, she ducked - too late. It clipped her shoulder, tearing open a searing line of pain as the cruel barbs on the ends of its claws sunk in, tearing free and taking a chunk of flesh with it.

Restraining a scream, Ranma resisted the urge to change her stance, leading the thing after her in a spiral. The thing gave off heat, and there was no reason to think it would work differently with water than with air.

Drawing in one final breath, and ignoring the incongruity of inhaling water, Ranma shouted.

XXX

"Well, Sasami," Washuu said, toweling her own hair, "I take it that you're feeling better?"

The little girl nodded tiredly, her large eyes slowly drifting shut. "Yes ... thank you for talking to me, Washuu-chan... I just felt so alone." She groaned softly, then yawned, crossing her arms over her knees and resting her head there for a moment, sitting on one of the bathing stools.

Washuu sighed, shaking her head. "Well," she whispered, "I'm glad you feel better..." Standing abruptly, she gave a decisive nod. "Come, Sasami, we need to dress you before you fall asleep."

Rousing herself slightly and sighing in disappointment, the girl rose, standing slowly and holding back another yawn. "Okay," she mumbled, following Washuu to the room she had once shared with Ayeka.

With Washuu's assistance, she was able to dress in a clean outfit - her old one having been carefully hidden because of the bloodstains.

The redhead frowned, turning to look at Sasami's reflection in a nearby mirror, while Sasami leaned against her drowsily. "As expected," the scientist remarked critically.

The mirror shimmered once, and when Washuu's eyes cleared, she was facing Tsunami once more.

Bowing her head, Tsunami sighed, shame apparent on her features. "I... I am losing myself, Washuu. I am sorry."

Washuu nodded knowingly. "And she's losing herself, too. Do you know what's happening?"

Tsunami bit her lip, looking upwards. "It is... It is a difficult thing to know ... onee-san."

Wincing, Washuu shook her head. "Not that... Not ... right now. We can speak of that later. In the meantime ... what will happen to you? To Sasami?"

Tsunami schooled her expression stoically. "We will become ... somewhere between where we are now, I should think."

Washuu scowled, poking the taller woman's shoulder. "And your body? Sasami's?"

A shadow of a frown passed across Tsunami's face, and she shook her head. "That, you should remember well enough."

Washuu smiled obliquely. "Maybe I should, but I don't. In the meantime, what brings you here? And why as Sasami? You know how dangerous this place is - especially now."

Tsunami's face fell and Washuu winced, seeing the glimmering of unshed tears in the taller woman's eyes. She cleared her throat imperiously and reclaimed her regal demeanor and bearing, though the wetness remained in her gaze. "Tenchi-sama-" her voice cracked, and she masked it with a cough. "Tenchi-sama is far too busy with the pressing matters of the Supreme Council to be bothered with such trifling matters - to be of a certain. I am sure he will attend those important to him."

Washuu drew in a long hissing breath. She hadn't known - and wouldn't have guessed such a thing... But she could read the meaning behind the convoluted speech regardless. Throwing aside pretenses for the moment, she nodded solemnly. "I understand then ... imouto-chan." Drawing herself up to her full height, and shunning for the moment her childish form, Washuu stood taller than Tsunami and gently drew the woman into an embrace.

Secure in Washuu's hug and finding what she had failed to find on Jurai, Tsunami let loose her tears. The blue-haired woman allowed herself to vent her sorrows for what seemed a timeless eternity, until she had no more tears to shed, and she was able to pull away apologetically. "I... I am sorry, onee- I am sorry, Washuu."

Washuu waved a hand dismissively, managing a wry grin. "No one should ever have to bear being alone, I'd think. Anyway, if you're feeling better, perhaps we should discuss our more immediate problem?"

Gathering herself and her will, Tsunami nodded, noting by the thin light streaming in through the windows that the sun would rise shortly. "Where..." She trailed off, frowning, and began again, "Where is the one who saved Sasami? Who saved me?"

Washuu opened her mouth to answer the question, only to be cut off by a resounding shout from outside, followed nearly instantly with a tinkling and crunching noise. "Hiryu-shouten-HA!" the cry echoed, moments before the earth gave an unexpected and sudden shudder.

Both women dashed to the front door together, surprised at what lay before them.

"Oh, my..." Tsunami managed, surveying the effects of some devastating attack.

Washuu nodded in agreement, staring at the aftermath in surprise. She had known that Ranma could generate cold, but ... that much? "Ranma?" she called out, not able to see the boy - girl at the moment, she reminded herself - clearly through the lake, now entirely frozen solid. The surface was jagged and torn, as though someone had smashed it to pieces with a great hammer after freezing it, and black and yellow chunks of ... it must have been a reaver ... coated in ice lay strewn about. While it _had_ been a reaver, it was now dozens upon dozens of small pieces - no longer a threat, at any rate.

Unnoticed until that moment, Yosho followed the two women from the house, eyeing them dubiously before studying the lake. "Interesting," he remarked, leaping out across the ice, wearing his traditional clothing and bounding from the jagged icy spires with only his sandals to find purchase.

He descended in the center of the lake, a depression too deep for Washuu to peer into from her vantage point at the edge of the... She groaned, realizing that the dock was largely gone, destroyed by the ice, and the pieces flung too far to be seen. The lake had frozen quickly, then expanding outward from the center by some kind of explosion. That must have been the upheaval that shook the house. Tsunami was only able to stare in surprise, before commenting, "I think that this ... Ranma-dono might indeed be enough to stop the reavers."

Washuu nodded, saying nothing for the moment as Yosho bounded back, his arms full of a busty and body-suit-clad redhead. He looked down at the girl, frowning, then turned his attention to Washuu. "Who is she?" he asked.

The scientist raised an eyebrow. "You don't remember? That's Ranma."

As her name was called, Ranma momentarily woke, opened her eyes a crack, and spied Washuu. "Didja see that? I got 'im ... he ... Saotome Ranma doesn't..." she mumbled. But whatever it was that she was going to say was left unspoken as she fell unconscious in Yosho's arms once more.

Washuu blinked, crossing her arms and allowing her frown at the smaller redhead to deepen. "Well, perhaps he can stop them. There are a few problems left to still work out."

Tsunami stifled a giggle at the scene, unable to deny the improbability of the entire situation.

XXX

Yosho cleared his throat, carrying Ranma into the house and gently setting her on the couch in the living room before turning to eye the women who had followed him. "So," he began, frowning, "what brings you here, Tsunami-sama?"

Inclining her head slightly, Tsunami re-assumed her formal poise. "I am visiting my sister. Tell me, Yosho-dono, what are your plans to deal with the threat to life on this green Earth?"

He cleared his throat, looking at Ranma's sleeping form for a moment before turning to study the women before him. Sisters? Perhaps a joke - Sasami seemed to refer to nearly everyone close to her as a brother or sister. But that wasn't important at the moment... "I will stay here. Until ... Father ... finishes removing the reavers from this world, I will not abandon her." He fell silent for a moment, brooding, before adding, "Nor will I leave Funaho."

Tsunami became more solemn, nodding her comprehension of his wishes. "As you will it, then. I shall... I shall remove Funaho from this green Earth for you." Yosho blinked, his eyes widening in alarm. The taller woman smiled reassuringly, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Have no fear. When it is safe again, I will return, and with me, Funaho."

Yosho relaxed, bowing his head in gratitude. "Thank you, Tsunami-sama."

Wincing slightly, the woman shook her head. "For the moment only. But ... before I leave, I have one request that I would ask of you."

Washuu remained silent, fidgeting as she watched the pair, sympathy plain on her face.

Yosho nodded, guessing he knew already. "What would you have of me?"

Tsunami waved her hand gently before Yosho's eyes, sighing softly. "Grant ... Sasami one last moment of happiness before it becomes too late?" Yosho nodded again, feeling the illusion settle about him like an old coat - familiar and comforting in its deceit.

In a soft surge of light, the room was suffused green, and Tsunami was gone, replaced with her much younger and seemingly more innocent counterpart. She blinked around her, eyes wide. "Masaki-san?" She giggled suddenly, exclaiming, "I must have walked in my sleep!"

Washuu smiled, still not having reverted to her own more childish form. "It would seem that way, Sasami-chan."

Yosho smiled too, aware of his 'Katsuhito' guise, and saw the regret in Washuu's eyes, easily mirrored in his own.

XXX

Ranma woke, laying on a couch in the Masaki living room, and vaguely alerted by the scents of something cooking in the kitchen. Lifting herself, finding it too much effort to levitate immediately, she stumbled towards the smell.

"Mmm... Smells good," she murmured, seeing Washuu and Sasami working together in the kitchen, with an older man Ranma didn't recognize observing the pair. She blinked at Washuu, staring at the woman when she realized that she was in her adult form. She still hadn't managed to figure out exactly what prompted that in the scientist...

The girl - Sasami, she reminded herself - turned towards him, smiling brightly and bubbling with cheerful energy. "Good morning, Ranma-nee-chan!"

Ranma cringed. 'Sister'? "Um..." Shaking her head, she dismissed it for the moment. "Yeah, good morning, Sasami-chan." She smiled, noting the nods of approval she garnered from both the old man, and Washuu. Wherever she had ended up, she decided, it was quite likely one of the weirdest places that she could _ever_ possibly hope to see. "Anyway," she drawled, yawning and stretching, "what's the plan for the day?"

Washuu pursed her lips, glancing out the window for a long moment before turning back to a cutting board. "Why don't you help Katsuhito-dono set the table?"

Rolling her eyes and sighing, Ranma did as she was bidden, waiting until they were out of the kitchen to ask the old man, "So ... who are you?"

He winced, shaking his head. "It's ... difficult to explain, Ranma. I'm also Yosho, but ... in front of Sasami, please call me Katsuhito."

Ranma groaned. "Great. A whole house of people with two forms, and I'm _still_ the only one that changes from a boy into a girl."

Yosho blinked at that, opening his mouth to comment, then chuckled, unable to hold back a smile. "Actually, that's ... that's true, right now. Heh..." He shook his head, setting chopsticks on the table. "However, try and be ... careful ... with Sasami. Innocence is to be treasured, I should think."

She frowned, not sure how to respond to that, then shrugged and finished helping Yosho - helping 'Katsuhito' - set up the table.

Sasami and Washuu emerged shortly after, Washuu sitting to Ranma's right, nearer the living room, while Sasami took her seat to her left, nearest the kitchen. Ranma eyed the various foods lining the table, but looked about for permission before helping herself to any. The others seemed relaxed, Washuu staring moodily towards the ceiling, Katsuhito managing a soft smile and helping himself to some pickles, and then ... there was Sasami.

Sasami smiled brightly, proffering a bowl of rice towards Ranma. She smiled gratefully, noting a lack of sparring partners before she began to bolt her food. After polishing off one bowl, Ranma sighed contentedly, casting about the table for something else - then noting Sasami was already refilling her bowl of rice. The girl giggled as Ranma worked her way through the meal, laughing, "You eat just like Ryouko-nee-san!"

Ranma blinked, peering at Sasami over the rim of her bowl. "Huh?" she asked, befuddled.

Sasami giggled again, then turned to Washuu. "Doesn't Ranma-nee-chan look just like Ryouko-nee-san?"

The taller redhead stifled a laugh of her own, even Katsuhito looked on the verge of laughing. "Actually," Washuu commented, "he _does_ eat just like her. He's more polite, though."

Katsuhito burst out in laugher at that, spraying rice across the table to haphazardly shower the slightly less amused Ranma. "Uh," she said, eyeing the grains of rice stuck to her. "Thanks ... I think."

This caused everyone gathered about the table to lose control as they all burst into laughter, even Ranma. The situation was still bizarre in the extreme, but at the same time... How could they not harbor that small amusement in such a tense atmosphere? Sighing, Ranma shook her head, wiping the rice off her face. "That was funny ... but, ah ... can I have some hot water?"

Sasami nodded, eagerly trotting into the kitchen and returning with a large cup of steaming water a moment later. Ranma accepted it, then carefully doused herself with the liquid, shifting easily back into his male form. "Ah," he said, sighing as he flexed his arms, and pausing for a moment to study the shoulder that had been torn in the earlier battle with the reaver. The damage was entirely gone, only a dim ache remaining. Shrugging, he set the empty cup on the table again. "Thank you, Sasami-chan. I feel much better now." He gave the girl a lopsided grin, before his stomach gave an unsettling growl.

Blinking, he stared at his stomach in surprise, remembering how much he had eaten. Washuu smirked at him, resting her elbows on the table and commented, "You're hungry again because you just converted all of the food you ate into extra mass. You didn't really get as much energy from the meal as your body would have liked." She waggled a finger at him, admonishing, "But next time, try to control the change yourself, instead of using water."

Ranma studied the table for a moment, then grinned. "Yeah, next time. Anyway, I get to eat again, right?"

Washuu nodded, hiding another grin.

Sasami gawked openly, still recovering from the initial shock. "Ranma-nee-nii-chan! Just like an anime character!"

Ranma blinked, starting in on yet another bowl of rice. "Like one of those Dragon Ball guys, right?" he managed between bites. "I bet I could beat them, too."

Washuu snorted. "I think you look more like Sonic the Hedgehog, really."

Ranma paused his meal, frowning at the scientist in consternation before remarking, "Well, you did make me this way."

She cringed, flinching back from his words, her smile fading. "Yes ... well, I'm sorry. "

"Uh..." Ranma began, setting down his chopsticks and running a hand through his hair, thinking. "It's not like I'm complaining, or anything, I mean I'd be..." He trailed off, remember that he'd had the same discussion with the scientist the previous night, and anyway, Sasami was overhearing the entire thing. She didn't need to know how close to death he'd been.

Washuu nodded her approval, then answered, "Yes, but I still feel sorry for not asking you first-"

Ranma interrupted her with a wave of his hands, before reaching for his chopsticks again. "Don't worry about it. Seriously. It's not like it's going to ruin my life, or anything. And even if it does, it can't actually make things worse for me." He fell silent for a moment, gobbling up his rice before allowing Sasami to refill it from her seemingly ever-ready supply. "Anyway, what's the plan? I don't think we're just going to wait here and let the..." He trailed off, eyeing Sasami and considering his words carefully. "Well ... what is the plan, anyway?"

Katsuhito coughed, to clear his throat. "Well, I suppose ... I'm no longer going to have to remain here, though I'll certainly miss this place ... and the shrine." He sighed, watching Sasami out of the corner of his eyes before turning his attention to Ranma. "Where we go next ... I am unsure. I don't know what would be best."

Washuu nodded, watching Sasami as well. "Hmm ... things to consider are that they learn from each encounter, so they're going to be more dangerous every time we fight. I don't think they'll ever become immune to intense cold, though. But they will learn to be faster, and more dangerous. We need more allies ... but who can help us?"

Ranma stared at his bowl, this time left empty, and nodded slowly. "I know a few guys who might be able to help out..."

Washuu raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you?"

He nodded, glancing at Sasami, who seemed oblivious to the attention focused on her, then back to Washuu. "Yeah. The old ghoul who taught me the hiryuu-shouten-ha, for one."

Katsuhito and Washuu both stared at him, uncomprehending for a long moment, before Sasami asked, "What's a 'hiryuu-shouten-ha'?"

Ranma nodded knowingly, taking a cup in one hand. "It's a technique to turn someone's anger and hot ki against themselves, kind of. Basically..." He swirled one finger through the water, slowly, murmuring to himself, then smiled, setting it down on the table. "You take their heat and use it to blast them away. But it has a side effect, when you learn the soul of ice." He gestured at the water, then turned the cup over and tapped it, spilling a small block of ice onto the table.

Nodding in satisfaction, he leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. Washuu stared at the block of ice for a moment excitedly. "Ranma," she addressed him, "that skill defies explanation - I _have_ to study it!" She shook herself, relaxing and biting her lip. "Not now, of course..." She snapped her fingers suddenly, as though remembering something. "Right. There is one thing I'd like to take care of right now, though, before we leave."

She rose, beckoning Ranma and Sasami to follow. Sasami nodded, removing her carrot-patterned apron and following excitedly. Ranma started when the little girl took his hand, dashing forward and catching up with Washuu shortly.

The scientist made no comment, leading the pair through the doorway to her lab, and from there, down a corridor. She halted before a large, circular room, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Ranma peered around, seeing only a small tree in the center of a large planter. Washuu muttered to herself, "Forgot about that ... must remember to ask..."

Ranma made a face, frowning. "Huh?"

Shaking herself out of her apparent reverie, the redhead walked along the edge of the room and through another door. "It should be here," she muttered, glancing around at various flashing lights and control apparatus. "Ah!" she exclaimed, finding one display of interest to her.

She grinned, opening a panel and producing a strange spherical object. Sasami gasped at it, clapping her hands together and staring excitedly. "Is that another Ryo-chan?"

Washuu smirked, pressing the ball into Ranma's hands. "Close! Sasami, this is Ran-oh-ki. Ranma, I want you to hang on to that egg, okay? It should hatch..." she trailed off, glancing at a monitor. "About now. Make sure you hang onto it, since he needs to come into contact with you, first."

Ranma stared at the egg dumbly, while Washuu led Sasami around a partition. "Uh ... huh?"

Washuu's voice reached him, from wherever the scientist and the girl were hiding, "Just hang on to it, and make sure to impress yourself on Ran-oh-ki."

Sasami's voice followed Washuu's, while Ranma simply continued to stare at the ... egg ... in befuddlement. "Is it going to be just like Ryo-chan?"

"Er ... mostly, Sasami-chan. I based Ran-oh-ki off of my last record of Ryo-oh-ki, since I lost Ryo-oh-ki's original blueprints..."

Ranma shook his head, not really understanding what they were talking about, and studying the warm, dark egg. Its outer surface seemed hairy, like a coconut, but much softer, and at the same time, much less yielding. "Um..." he began, turning the thing over to look at it from all angles, "what exactly is this?"

Washuu sighed, audible from behind the partition. "Ran-oh-ki is going to be your partner, Ranma. He's-" The rest of her statement was cut off, as the egg cracked once, sharply.

Ranma blinked, raising it closer to his eyes to get a closer look.

He flinched, looking away as fragments of the lower half of the egg fell off, bouncing to the floor and leaving Ranma with a dome-shaped half-egg covering ... something. A pair of some kind of feet.

The feet shuffled around slowly, fitting easily in one palm. Ranma smirked, freeing his other hand to lift off the remaining shell and peer beneath. "Hey, it's a - AUUUUGH!"

XXX

Washuu sped around the partition at Ranma's yell, her heart hammering worriedly, and Sasami fearfully trailing the taller woman. "What's going on?" she asked anxiously.

Lying prone on the floor and gibbering in terror, Ranma flailed around, seemingly pinned by the minuscule creature that clumsily plodded across his chest and towards his face. The scientist blinked as Ranma stopped shouting suddenly, his eyes meeting Ran-oh-ki's. He instantly seemed to relax, grinning slightly.

"Oh," Washuu said, putting one hand over her heart and breathing a sigh of relief. "It was successful... I didn't think he'd be _scared_..."

"Is something wrong with Ranma-nee-nii-chan?" Sasami asked, hovering anxiously behind Washuu, afraid of getting too close to the boy.

"Well," Washuu began, watching as Ranma patted the creature on the head, "it just took a moment for Ranma to impress on Ran-oh-ki. Now that the impression has set in, the telepathic bond is building between them. Ran-oh-ki is Ranma's partner, after all." She frowned, dismally realizing she had forgotten - again - to ask Ranma's permission. So much to apologize for...

She sighed as Ranma sat up, scratching Ran-oh-ki under the chin with one finger idly. Seeming only then to remember Washuu and Sasami, he smiled, holding Ran-oh-ki in one hand. "It's not a c...c... One of those things," he announced cheerfully. "It's some kind of rat."

Washuu and Sasami blinked, then exchanged a glance, looking back in time to see the creature stare at Ranma balefully, and _bite_ the boy's finger. Ranma twitched slightly, pulling his finger back and masking a wince. "Say," he remarked, pointing behind Washuu, "what's that?"

Washuu and Sasami turned to look, seeing nothing out of the ordinary - for Washuu's lab - and hearing a muffled 'thwack' followed by the sound of gnawing. When they turned back, Ranma was still smiling and petting Ran-oh-ki carefully, though his smile seemed much more strained.

Shaking her head, Sasami stepped forward slowly, holding a hand out and bending low to be of height with the seated Ranma. "May I hold him?"

He nodded, handing Ran-oh-ki over and standing, rubbing his finger when he thought Washuu wasn't looking. "So," he said, frowning dourly at the creature, "how is this thing my partner?"

Washuu stared, stunned at the interplay between Ranma and his new partner. "Um," she said after a moment, recollecting herself. "He can travel through the stars, for one." Ranma stared at her blankly. Washuu cleared her throat, shaking her head and motioning Ranma and Sasami to follow her. "For another, what he sees, he can pass on to you, so he can help you scout things out." She sighed, unable to focus, and marveled for a moment at the conundrum that Ranma was. So many puzzles!

She paused in the chamber they had passed through on their way in, eyeing Ryu-oh's successor. It wasn't large enough, yet, but... Sighing, she turned to Sasami, who was standing before the ring of water surrounding the young Ouke no Ki. Ranma paused, halfway between Sasami and Washuu, though he was looking at Sasami oddly.

Not Sasami, Washuu noted with regret, but Sasami's reflection. Sasami's reflection, which was Tsunami. He kept silent, however, simply watching, as Sasami seemed to not notice initially.

Slowly, she smiled - not the normal, wide and blindingly happy smile she normally wore - but a sad, regretful smile. She sighed softly, and a tear glistened across her cheek, followed shortly by another. Washuu bit her lip, unsure of what to do.

XXX

Ranma hopped, sliding through the air easily, and feeling - oddly enough - Ran-oh-ki's concern for the girl in addition to his own. He lit near her, then crouched, placing one hand on her shoulder gently. "Hey," he said, not entirely certain what was wrong. Or what he could do to help. "What's the problem?"

He winced, certain that he could have found better words for the situation than that, but hoping it would suffice. She grabbed onto him tightly, and he was distantly aware of Washuu drawing closer. Sasami buried her face in his shoulder, whimpering softly. "I'm..." she started falteringly, "I'm going to miss this, nee-nii-chan."

He awkwardly embraced her, not entirely understanding the situation, and ignored when Ran-oh-ki jumped from her head to perch on his, making a soft, "Miyah!" in the process. He opened his mouth to say something, but fell silent when Sasami begin to emit a bright glow, and ... shifted ... in his arms.

Staring at him bashfully, he recognized the figure from her reflection. She hesitantly let go of him, then stood. Ranma backed away, scratching Ran-oh-ki distractedly as he rose to his feet himself. If there was a problem, he was certain Washuu would have mentioned it, but... "Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly, "I _am_ surrounded by people who can change their forms, and am _still_ the only one that has to turn from a boy into a girl!"

Impossibly, the woman before him smiled at that. "I am ... sorry, Saotome-dono. I am sorry for the impositions ... but at the same time, I wish to thank you for allowing an innocent to be happy."

He blinked, reaching up and scratching Ran-oh-ki's ears again nervously. "Aw ... uh ... don't worry about it. Sasami's a good kid, you know. Um ... so ... what's wrong, exactly?"

The woman laughed, gliding forward to stand nearer Ranma, and placed her fingertips on his forehead. He didn't flinch, and she smiled softly, lowering her hand. "You have a beautiful heart, Saotome-dono."

"Uh ... you can call me Ranma," he said, shrugging nervously. He wasn't certain how, but the impression that he should know her from ... somewhere ... was very strong. "Um ... I don't think I know you, yet, so, uh..."

A smile teased at the corners of her mouth again and she nodded. "My name is Tsunami, Ranma-dono. But ... I'm afraid my time here is at an end. The Supreme Council will be reconvening soon, and I must return to Jurai. Perhaps... Perhaps I will see you there, some day. I certainly hope to."

He nodded dumbly, then turned to Washuu, who was studying both of them with some interest. Finding nothing to say to her at the moment, Ranma managed, "Uh ... yeah, maybe..."

Tsunami's smile widened beatifically, and she stepped out across the ring of water surrounding the small tree. "I will be taking Ryu-oh's successor and Funaho with me for safe keeping. I will return Funaho when I can - I rather suspect that Ayeka-sama will prefer to keep it close..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I bid you both be safe, and take care of Yosho-dono, as well."

Washuu's voice met Tsunami's, solemn and yet with an undertone of warmth for the other woman, "We will, Tsunami. And be well."

"Thank you..."

And then there was a soft humming sound, and Tsunami and the tree were gone. "Huh..." Ranma mumbled, scratching Ran-oh-ki's ears again, pausing when he realized what he was doing. "Um ... anyway ... now that we've got the rat, what next?"

XXX

Washuu sighed, shaking her head as Ran-oh-ki bit Ranma's finger, and he retaliated by bopping the creature upside the head. It hopped out of the way, causing him to strike himself, and the scientist cleared her throat, pleased that both Ranma and his partner calmed. "Well, Ranma. We're going to gather Yosho-dono, and move on. The lab is pretty much done for. I can salvage the most important thing, the computer, and a handful of other trinkets very quickly.

"You said you knew where we could find some allies, so that's where we're going to head first."

"Nerima..." Ranma said softly. "I know people in Nerima."

Washuu began walking briskly towards the exit, nodding. "Yes, and we should keep our eyes and ears open for anything else that can help us."

Ranma frowned, thinking about that. "Yeaahh..." he drawled, drifting along and holding Ran-oh-ki nestled in the crook of one arm. "We might find a few people."

The redhead sighed, shaking her head. "Let's get you some clothes. I think Tenchi-dono can spare something that should fit you."

XXX

Rumors reached the trio as they traveled, picked up from survivors in devastated and razed towns, of small bastions of survival among the larger cities. They had picked up a girl from Okayama, too, though she said she was from Tokyo, and heading back there.

Tokyo was full of survivors, apparently. A last stand was being drawn there, with the strongest in Japan rallying for defense.

Ranma floated ahead of Yosho, Washuu, and the other girl, noting a thankful absence of the sense of reavers nearby, and scanned around. After a moment, Ran-oh-ki levitated upwards, sniffing around and nipping Ranma's ear in passing. The boy scowled, but otherwise let it pass, while Washuu and Yosho chatted with a survivor.

He glanced back, surveying the situation, and not entirely comfortable in his borrowed clothes. The man was named Terry Bogard, or some such. Ranma wasn't really interested in getting to know him better. The man moved in a way that spoke of years of rigorous training, but he talked of a woman and had a certain ... dead ... light in his eyes that unnerved Ranma. Was that loss, he wondered? Was that what it was like to lose what you had to live for?

He shivered, shaking his head and turning away again, while Terry nodded and moved on, pulling the brim of his hat lower and heading northeast.

Washuu was still in her adult form, as she had been since Tsunami had departed. Ranma made no move to ask, though something in her eyes spoke of loss, as well. Yosho was solemn and remained silent. Washuu had given him something; an extra 'key' she had called it.

It fit around the man's wrist like a bracelet, with two spikes pointing forward. Ranma had no idea what the thing was for, but knew better than to doubt its effectiveness. Washuu was more than capable when it came to providing, he had learned.

He would have preferred to simply fly eastward as quickly as he could, but there were survivors out there, though the only one to follow them was the college student - Morisato Megumi. More people to protect, he supposed, though she was quiet, and worried about her brother. He could respect that easily enough.

Ran-oh-ki thumped softly onto Ranma's head, making another of his soft noises. Reassurance that he hadn't detected anything or anyone else flooded across the link. Ranma stifled a sigh, and motioned to Washuu. "This place is dead. Whatever happened, Bogard-san was the only one to survive."

Washuu nodded sourly, glancing around at the crumbling piles of masonry that had once been Kobe. "Well, let's head east, to Osaka. It's a large city; hopefully we'll find more survivors there."

Ranma nodded, frowning. "I think that's a launch site, too..."

Washuu shrugged, and then, as if on cue, a spark rose from the distant east, a point of light climbing heavenward. Washuu almost grinned at it, managing instead only a tight, worried smile. "That is a perfect sign. That's another load of survivors, at the very least."

"Yup," Ranma agreed, rising higher to scout around again.

Yosho passed beneath him, walking steadily. "We might want to see about finding a bus, or a car, if we can," he supplied, looking as though he wanted to hurry.

Washuu frowned. "I'm an inventor and a scientist. Not a mechanic. I don't know if we can _find_ enough of an intact vehicle here to try and repair, anyway."

Piping up suddenly from behind Yosho and shivering, slightly uncomfortable at Ranma's presence, Megumi hesitantly offered, "I know how to fix cars..."

XXX

"Ranma-san, fetch me a three and a quarter inch bolt, please."

"Yeah, yeah..." he muttered digging through a pile of scrap. He held up a bolt, examining it. "This?" he asked, offering it to the much-more confident Megumi. She nodded, reaching towards it, and blinking as Ranma's odd pet jumped up and _ate_ the bolt, chewing it only a few times before swallowing and making one of his noises, purring and rubbing against Megumi's leg.

Ranma wordlessly batted the creature away, and it simply seemed to melt through the far wall. Megumi blinked again, while Ranma just muttered and dug through the pile of parts again to produce another bolt. "Um," she said, shaking her head and taking it from Ranma, "thanks..."

He nodded, still poking through the pile of parts and grunting in annoyance when the pet returned, popping up through the floor, and began gnawing on Ranma's ear. "Hey! Stupid rat!"

XXX

Megumi smirked to herself behind the wheel of the newly rebuilt truck. "See?" she said, starting it up easily, "I told you that I could fix things!"

Ranma shrugged, climbing into the back with Yosho, while Washuu nodded her approval and took the passenger seat. "Very nice, Morisato-san."

The girl flushed, kicking the truck into reverse and tearing down the road towards Osaka. "Aw, you don't need to call me that, Hakubi-san!" She giggled, spinning the truck around when braking, then throwing the truck into high gear and shooting forward.

Ranma shrugged, leaping from the moving truck and pacing it, still scouting the area. "Looks like they've moved on," he murmured, hoping that the blue earring-like ... thing ... that Washuu had given him while Megumi was working on the truck would pick it up. He wasn't certain why it simply stayed near his ear, but Washuu had mentioned that his gem could to that, too.

It did pick up his words, and her voice came back to him easily. "Understood, Ranma. We've got Yosho, and I can keep in touch with you, so go and scout ahead, if you want."

"Got it," he muttered, marveling that it filtered out the whistling of the wind, and darting ahead.

XXX

The launch facility was abandoned. Ranma could tell even without trying to sense it. The spark that had risen yesterday was the last ship off of a dying world, to all appearances. The shining corridors and polished metal was twisted, torn apart, and the command center simply ... gone.

He crouched low, motioning Megumi back as she stood at the entrance to what should have been the control room. "Yeah..." he said, sighing sadly. There was nothing aside from the reavers that would have done it, but he checked impulsively anyway. Stray drops of their acidic ... spittle ... it was all the information he needed, and the fumes would be toxic for the girl.

Washuu had admitted to him that he didn't actually need to breathe, so he knew he was safe, but there was no reason to put her in danger. He glanced around the facility again, wondering why his memories about the place that he had nearly died were so vague. "Nothing here. Let's move on."

XXX

Ranma lounged in the back of the truck, listening to the women chatter. They had picked up another girl in Osaka - the only one willing to follow them. The few other scattered survivors were reluctant to join, or too dead inside to care.

Momiji, he thought her name was. "So Saotome-san is a monster? I know... I knew a boy who was a monster, too ... and he..." she trailed off, and Ranma frowned unhappily, meeting Yosho's equally unhappy gaze.

Washuu's voice was soft, comforting. "They've destroyed so much, haven't they? We need to gather the survivors that we can, though ... we have to keep fighting to make our memories something to live for, don't we?"

Ranma heard a stirring noise, and a soft whimper. He didn't need to look behind him to guess that the poor girl was crying - and he couldn't blame her. "Washuu," he whispered, sending a mental command to Ran-oh-ki to stay near the girl, "Nagoya's coming up. I'm going to scout ahead again."

Yosho grabbed onto his wrist, anger shining in his eyes. "Let me go with you, this time."

XXX

Carrying Yosho was initially awkward, but the man adapted quickly, and Ranma was able to zip to Nagoya quickly enough. Ran-oh-ki sent sympathetic feelings across the link, and Ranma was vaguely aware of soft, moist saltiness, and a patting sensation. "Great," he muttered, "my partner's actually useful."

Washuu's voice reached him, very low, reminding him that the communication link was still active. "Don't belittle him, Ranma."

"Sorry," he replied quietly, before setting Yosho down on the street and landing. "The women should be here in about ten minutes, but this place looks as dead as everything else so far. No sign of people _or_ reavers."

The man nodded sourly. "It's like they're avoiding us, isn't it?" he remarked.

Ranma nodded back. "Could be. They aren't smart, I guess, but they sure aren't stupid, either."

Yosho grimaced. "I hate them," he said. "They came and destroyed everything. My... Tenchi's father. I knew he should have stayed with us, but..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Even before they killed anyone, they destroyed much of what I held dear. Sasami..." he trailed off, frowning.

Ranma nodded again, half wishing that he could sense living things as well as Ran-oh-ki. "I think I understand. I don't really know everything about Sasami ... or Tsunami ... but I felt..." He shook his head, scratching behind one ear nervously.

Yosho sighed, scanning around the leveled ruins. "One thing," he remarked, "I suppose we should be thankful that there aren't any ... bodies..."

The pigtailed boy looked at Yosho askance. "I noticed that. Why _aren't_ there any bodies?"

Yosho stared at Ranma, unfaltering. "They eat them, Ranma."

Shuddering, the boy stepped back, knowing he should have expected the answer, but wishing he hadn't heard it. "Oh ... kami ... this _sucks_."

The man nodded, understanding fully. "I'll search towards the north, you head south. We'll meet back in five minutes, and you can use Ran-oh-ki to check again later."

Uneasy, Ranma drifted southward, searching.

XXX

"Traffic violation?" Miyuki asked half-heartedly. "You're kidding, right?"

Natsumi shrugged, peering about the more intact remnants of the office. "Well, we still have our duties, I guess."

Miyuki sighed, leading the way to their patrol car and shaking her head. "What are we going to do, ask the monster to pull over? 'Oh, please, bakemono-san, I need to give you this ticket for a traffic violation!'"

Natsumi giggled, "With our luck, it'll contest the charge!"

Sighing again, and smiling sadly, Miyuki climbed into their car, pulling out of the station smoothly. "At least petrol is cheaper."

"And ice-cream. There's a sale, since the power's going to go off for a while, tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Well ... I hear, at any rate. Want to grab some tonight?"

"Hmm ... sure, once we ... well. Nothing's perfect."

They fell silent, following the directions that had been radioed in, and skidding to a halt at an intersection. There it was, a giant, ugly ... thing ... gleaming black, seeming to make the light shy away and making it difficult to look at. "Uh..." Miyuki said, throwing the cruiser into reverse and slamming on the accelerator.

The monster stepped towards them slowly, as she expertly spun the car around, switching out of reverse, and stomped the accelerator again. Natsumi grabbed the radio and barked, "We've got a monster chasing us, and it's not going to stop. What next? Where can we lead it? Is there anyone within this district that can help us? Over."

An answer came back - not the operator that it should have been, she had - Miyuki cut that thought off quickly. "Uh ... negative on that, the nearest capable unit is ... Yokohama, currently."

"Okay, fine. Who is it, and where should we lead it? Over."

After a momentary burst of static, the answer came back, "Her name is... uh... Nuku-" static cut out the rest for a moment, until the operator repeated, "Her name is Nuku-Nuku, temporarily assigned from Nerima ward. Lead it to Yokohama strike site one. Uh ... over."

Miyuki sighed. The Nerima ward meant massive destruction of public property. Could be worse, though. Natsumi simply shrugged. "Well, this should be interesting. Let's go. Over and out."

XXX

Yosho eyed the 'Welcome to Yokohama!' sign warily. "Well," he commented over the noise, "this is it. We'll reach Nerima later today. Any plans, yet?"

Washuu frowned. "I'm picking up some radio transmissions."

Ranma smiled eagerly, seeing the vast majority of the buildings still standing. "What do they say?"

A squealing burst of static sounded while Washuu fiddled with the truck's radio, causing Ran-oh-ki to hiss at it before a voice emerged, "...fender in Yokohama. Repeat, traffic division has an incoming on..." The rest of it was lost as the truck bounced against the curb, Megumi momentarily allowing the truck to drift in her distraction.

Ranma dove for Yosho when the truck bounced, carrying the man upwards and streaking ahead without waiting to hear more. Washuu's voice reached him as Megumi regained control of the truck on the conspicuously empty streets, "Ranma, I'm not sure about where that was, but I think it's to the north."

"Yeah, I feel it. So does Ran-oh-ki. I'm heading in."

"Be careful? Try and find out what's going on, and fight with allies. Don't try and take it alone, okay?"

Ranma glanced at Yosho, who was clenching his fists and craning his neck to look at the empty streets below. "Understood, Washuu. This should be easy."

"Okay." There was a moment of silence before Washuu spoke up again, "Momiji-chan asks you to smack it once for her."

"Got it," he replied tersely.

Ranma floated down to an intersection, feeling the reaver nearby. It was moving quickly, and causing the gem in his wrist to tingle and flare green. Yosho hopped out of his arms, gesturing. When the man landed on the street, there was a blazing blade of blue energy in one of his hands, and a soft glimmering from an energy shield in the other.

He nodded his approval and looked around. A car was approaching, obviously at its top speed, and only just out-pacing the reaver behind it. Ranma crouched low, summoning his own blades and taking a deep breath. Yosho took a defensive stance nearby and braced himself. Between them, in the middle of the road, a girl in a high-school uniform hopped down from a building, large ear-like sensors protruding from beneath her hair.

Ranma shivered, as Ran-oh-ki sent vague reassurances that he was not seeing a cat. Nothing to worry about. Collecting himself, again, he called out to her, "Hey, we're going to help you, okay? What's your name?"

The girl blinked, turning to look at him, and then Yosho before smiling weakly. "Nuku-Nuku wants to protect..." she fell silent, shaking her head sadly as a tear crept from one eye. "Nuku-Nuku wants to protect..." she concluded weakly, turning back towards the oncoming car.

Ranma shoved back the anger that rose in him - more pain, caused by these stupid ... _things_...

It didn't matter anymore, he told himself. Just kill the damn bugs and get on with it. Nuku leapt suddenly, passing over the car and landing a spinning kick to the unsuspecting reaver, smashing it through a nearby building, then charging after it without giving it time to recover.

Ranma and Yosho darted forward together, unnerved that Nuku hadn't coordinated, and worried for her welfare. A moment later, she exploded away from the building, slamming into the skyscraper across the street, and Ranma ducked a lashing claw ... covered with slick wetness, and scraps of cloth.

Not allowing himself to consider the implications, he ducked, and Yosho circled around, trying to fight in the more rubble free sections. Not needing to worry about tripping, Ranma lashed at the reaver, trying to distract it and ensure that Yosho would be safe.

He was dimly aware of a car screeching to a halt, and someone yelling something, and then another car pulling up. "Washuu, there's a girl here - I'm not sure, but I think she's hurt really bad!" he yelled.

"I'm there, Ranma. Worry about the fight. I can take care of her."

Nodding, and not remembering that she wouldn't be able to see the gesture, Ranma charged, blocking a pair of pincer-like claws and kicking the thing's eyes. To his surprise, they broke open, spilling out the foul blood that he had come to recognize as their _only_ apparent body fluid.

He was so stunned that he didn't react, feeling only searing pain as the reaver lunged forward, _biting_ at him, and severing his leg at the calf. He staggered back, barely registering the rippling change as his mass redistributed itself.

Yosho took advantage of the creature's attack, flaying it open and bounding back, his shield deflecting the viscous substance that welled out of the wound.

Yelling in anger, Ranma slashed wildly, only succeeding in distracting the creature, while Yosho expertly finished it off, then backed away from the toxic fumes.

Panting, and deeply in pain from her entire right foot, Ranma limped away, wondering how badly she had been hurt to feel pain _after_ shifting. A pair of traffic police stood near Washuu as she inspected the fallen girl - Nuku-Nuku, Ranma remembered. Momiji stood to one side, alternately glancing between Ranma, Yosho, and the reaver.

Yosho released the energy maintaining his armaments, and after a moment, Ranma did the same. The traffic police looked at her oddly, then at each other, finally leaving Washuu alone to tend the wounded girl. Approaching Ranma and Yosho, they offered polite bows.

Confused, Ranma returned the bow, glancing at Yosho for reassurance. Yosho shrugged, looking towards the women expectantly. "Excuse me, Sir, Miss, could you please tell us your names?" asked the slightly taller woman with the long black hair.

Ranma nodded, scratching Ran-oh-ki as the creature hopped to her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm Saotome Ranma."

"And I'm Masaki Yosho," the man introduced himself, bowing politely to the women. "Can you tell us what's going on here?"

The shorter girl with brown hair, explained, "We're on patrol, leading stray aliens towards capable defenders ... are you registered?"

Ranma blinked, exchanging a confused glance with Yosho. "Registered?" she asked dumbly.

"That would be a 'no'. Can you come with us, then? We need all the help we can get, what with Nuku-san hurt," the taller woman explained. "My name is Miyuki."

Yosho frowned, puzzled. "I suppose we can discuss it," he said slowly. "But where are you situated?"

Natsumi piped up, "We're operating out of Shinjuku, actually. We used to be based in Tokyo, but..." she trailed off, slumping slightly. "We've abandoned Central Defense West, so now we just have Central and Central East."

Ranma nodded, tugging at her ill-fitting clothing and noticing for the first time that she was missing all of one pant-leg below the calf. Grimacing, she summoned the bodysuit, phasing through the clothing and wadding it up into a ball. "So ... can we help out here, Yosho?"

The women stared at her for a moment, then shook their heads, turning back to Yosho. "Um..." Miyuki began, "we can certainly use your help ... and yours, too," she said, turning to Ranma.

The part-Masu girl nodded slightly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We need everything and everyone we can _get_ to stop the reavers... We have some Americans, too. They came in after their own country was pretty much destroyed, but they brought over some ships. They're controlling the harbor-" She cut herself off suddenly, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Um, anyway, can you help us?"

"Washuu? What do you think?" Yosho asked, glancing towards Ranma briefly, then surveying the area again.

"It's a marvel, really. She's well constructed. I'm sure I can repair this, since the biological centers aren't actually damaged."

Ranma blinked, drifting over to Washuu's side and blinking again when she realized that Nuku was not human, seeing the dully glinting metal of Nuku's innards. "Uh..." Ranma said, feeling confusion again.

Nuku's eyes drifted open slowly and she murmured, "Nuku-Nuku couldn't protect Mama-san and Papa-san ... Ryunosuke... They can't play with Nuku-Nuku anymore..."

Ranma seethed internally, hating the monsters more with each moment. "Washuu, I can't stand this. We're close by, and you can reach me when you need to. I'm going to Nerima."

Washuu heaved a sigh, doing something that appeared to send Nuku to sleep. "I understand, Ranma. Be careful, please."

"Okay," Yosho decided, watching Ranma. "I'll go with Washuu for now. Ranma, if you need us, just call."

Ranma nodded, leaping away and flying towards Nerima, surveying the city below as she sped along. Ran-oh-ki followed her closely, perching on her shoulder and sharing her worry. "This sucks," she whispered.

Making a small noise, Ran-oh-ki nuzzled against Ranma's ear, and she patted him absently, increasing her pace.

XXX

Kasumi hummed softly, her traditional smile weaker as she strung the laundry up to dry. Nodoka made a small noise, helping her. Kasumi smiled a little more brightly. Nodoka had moved in, since her own home was further north, and thus ... more vulnerable.

Kasumi couldn't complain in the least, though, with Akane and Ranma gone... She frowned at that, glancing skyward as a warm breeze wafted through the yard. "Where do you suppose Akane and Ranma are, now?"

Nodoka stared, her features fading to a melancholy demeanor as she joined Kasumi in gazing skyward. "I don't know. I'm not sure how fast those ships move. But, they're probably happy together. From what you've told me, Ranma is very manly!" She nodded sadly, turning her attention to the laundry again. "I wish Genma had told me that he was cursed sooner. And where is Ranko-chan, anyway?"

Sighing, Kasumi shook her head, honestly answering, "I don't know, Auntie."

XXX

Nodoka shook her own head in response, finishing hanging the laundry from her basket and trudging into the house. She passed Soun, idly flipping through a stack of notes and listening to a radio playing some old recycled music. Nodoka paused for a moment, recognizing the tune and humming as she headed towards the kitchen.

Obliging Nodoka's unspoken request, Soun turned the radio up, allowing Nodoka to hear as she prepared lunch for the household. "When sakura falls in spring, it reminds me of..." she sang softly, under her breath, only able to remember a handful of the words.

Yet through it all, there was the nagging, apprehensive feeling that something important was going to happen.

And then the music cut out, replaced by an announcement from the newscasters. "...Update, for Tokyo residents, and good news for all involved! The city has gained two new defenders, all the way from Okayama! We have a Masaki Yosho, and a Saotome Ranma joining the ranks, along with their companion, one Hakubi Washuu. And on the survivor watch..."

Nodoka dropped the knife on the cutting board, only able to blink in stunned amazement.

XXX

"...one Hakubi Washuu." The radio droned on, but Keiichi was unable to focus on it, nervous apprehension gnawing away at him. Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld ... he was worried about them, certainly, but he was more worried for his sister. She had headed to Hiroshima for a weekend trip, and then the communication lines failed, and the trains had stopped...

"...watch. We repeat, there is a Morisato Megumi who says, 'Keiichi, don't you dare move, I'm coming home!' The next survivor, yes folks, they're still trickling in, is a 'Fujimiya Momiji'. If there are any relatives out there, please inform your nearest authority. And that's it for this update, further bulletins as events warrant." The music stuttered suddenly, restarting where it had paused for the announcement, and Keiichi was only able to stare at the radio in numb shock.

"Bell-" he started, nearly leaping when he noticed her behind him at the table, smiling beatifically and offering him a glass of iced tea. "Er ... thank you, Bell-chan ... did you hear? Megumi's okay - she's on her way back to us!"

Belldandy's face was flooded with a joy of her own, and she clasped Keiichi's hands warmly. "Once she's back..."

His smile faded and he nodded. "Yes ... once she's back ... we'll ... leave. But with her, right, Bell-chan?" She smiled sweetly, reassuring him. Even though she had explained that certain rules prevented her interference, she had promised that Megumi would return safely...

XXX

"Hikaru? Are you sure that ... you can _do_ that?"

She nodded determinedly. "We can't do anything here, but we can take our families and our loved ones to Cephiro with us, where it's safe."

Umi seemed hesitant, then nodded. "I'll ... I'll get my family. Fuu?"

Fuu nodded, easily agreeing with Hikaru. "We can make the greatest difference that way, I think... But time moves differently there, doesn't it?"

"Maybe. If things get really bad, we can just stay there ... but I'm _sure_ Clef can manage something! We need to take everyone we can there to be safe, then get reinforcements and come back!"

"Okay. Let's go ahead and get ready!"

XXX

She ran. Perhaps she was a coward, and that was all she did, but she was being chased, and she _knew_ one man could help her ... the man she loved. There was no reason to remain _here_, at any rate.

There was a noise behind her, but it was too late - the portal was opening, and that meant that he _knew_ she needed help. "Vahn!" she cried out urgently, rising through the air in a column of light, as the monster below snapped at her in futility.

XXX

"We have to go now. It's not safe. You know it, I know it ... so hide out with me, and then we can come back when this is taken care of. It's not like you haven't spent weeks or months with me there before, anyway."

"I know, but... But Jiji, and..."

He sighed, drawing her into an embrace and looking around the temple. The once-daily ritual of sweeping the steps before the shrine had stopped when he had slain the ... thing ... there. Its blood ate away the stairs, leaving precious little left, and he was worried that the smell would make Kagome ill; he knew it made him sick. "They will rest in peace, if they can, Kagome-chan. We have to go."

She nodded slowly, crying softly. He couldn't blame her; not after this. "O...okay. Let's go... We can come back, right?"

"When it's safe." If there were shards of the Shikon-no-tama, it might be one thing ... but as things stood, there was no reason to attempt to fight the monsters any longer. They were damnably fast, and dangerous, even to him...

XXX

Ranma shivered, feeling odd pockets and distortions in the distance. Ran-oh-ki's senses insisted they were harmless - gateways being opened and people _leaving_, somehow, but...

She sighed, feeling somehow that the city below was becoming a ghost town, even as she watched.

But Nerima was near - she thought she could see the remnants of the school, for one. She increased her pace, worrying that she was beginning to feel strain from it.

XXX

Ryouga sulked, his dog leading him onward, and the radio on his belt hissing with the latest updates. "... gssht ... Nerima ward. Repeat, we have an incoming. Plan to repel, nearest defender is ... team two. Be advised, we have an incoming ... gsshht..." He thumped the radio a few times in annoyance, then sighed, looking around.

A duck fluttered down towards him, quacking urgently. He stared, blinking for a moment, then fumbled for his hot-water thermos. After dousing the duck, Mousse stood before him, adjusting his glasses and looking weary. "It's a few blocks north of here, looks like it's heading towards the Tendo place. Not too quickly ... where's the old man?"

Grunting, Genma rounded the corner. "You saw it? Nothing to the west. The school's still empty."

Ryouga nodded, patting Shirokuro on the head. "Lead us to the Tendo place, okay, girl?"

Shirokuro yapped once, and then began trotting down the road, the three martial artists trailing it. Ryouga shivered, even though it was noon, and broad daylight ... rumors had it that there was another attack in Yokohama not long ago, and he hadn't heard a report back on that, yet. Hopefully they managed to chase it away.

"I see it," Genma said, pointing.

"Oh, _crap_!" Ryouga barked, picking up his pace to an all-out run.

XXX

Genma bounded along, easily keeping pace with the two boys and wondering absently about the future. If nothing else, the school would live on, since Ranma was safely away with Akane.

He simply had to do his best ... the TV had stopped giving useful information some time ago, but last he had heard, help from ... 'Jurai', or whatever that blonde girl had mentioned should only be a month or so away.

All they had to do was survive, and if possible, fend the damn monsters off. Not that they'd been very successful in killing them. Slowing them, sending them running to lick their wounds, yes, but actually killing them...

He growled, low in his throat, seeing the monster smash easily through the outer wall of the Tendo home. "I thought you said it was a few blocks away!" he yelled at Mousse.

The boy grimaced. "It was!"

Genma swore, leaping the intervening distance and rebounding off of the roof. The monster was beneath him, making a beeline for his wife and Kasumi. "I think _not_!" he yelled, spreading his arms at the creature and unleashing a shouted, "Kijin raishuu-dan!"

The monster reeled from the blow, vacuum blades pushing it back, but not breaking the carapace. Nodoka and Kasumi scrambled into the house, while Mousse attempted to tangle its legs in some of the many lengths of chain he carried about him. Ryouga flailed at it with his umbrella, able to ward it off, but not to do significant damage.

Genma heaved an internal sigh, knowing only one way to stop at least, this one monster, but also knowing the horrible cost involved... The monster lashed towards him and he narrowly evaded a blow, saved thanks to a tangle of chain. Centering himself, he shot one glance at Nodoka. Her panicked eyes met his, and he smiled. He looked away, grim again, and prepared himself for the blow that would settle things.

"Dokuja tanketsu shou!" he cried, utilizing an attack designed to rip the heart out of an opponent.

His fingers strained, nearly breaking before they shattered the monster's carapace, and slid within. Bellowing in pain and ignoring the incredulous gasps from the two boys, he wrenched, yanking the armor open, and spilling acidic blood on the ground.

That, he reflected, his entire body going numb as he fell to the ground, was what he should have done in the first place... He had stopped one, able to dimly sense its struggles lessening, as its tainted lifeblood seeped out. He even dimly imagined he could hear Ranma's voice, as everything slowly faded to darkness...

But he had finally fought for what he believed in. Finally. He closed his eyes, shutting out the world and feeling an intense peace wash through him. If only ... he had stood for what he believed ... sooner...

XXX

Ranma grimaced, seeing a thin plume of dust rise from the Tendo home. She dropped to the ground, landing near the pond, and gaped. Kasumi and Nodoka were holding on to each other, staring with wide eyes at the scene before them. Ryouga ... Mousse ... and Genma, facing off against a reaver?

But Ryouga and Mousse were only staring, as Genma...

Ranma staggered forward, hearing a piteously worried, "Miyah?" from her shoulder.

"Pops?" she whispered, absently shoving the reaver's body to one side and crouching near the prone man. She reached out with a shaking hand, tracing the lines of his face and trying to ignore the ruin of his lower body, already destroyed by the reaver's acid. "Pop?" she asked loudly, blinking as tears spilled from her eyes. She shook him gently, realizing in a clinical sense what was going on, but unable to admit it to herself. "POP!"

XXX

Washuu shook her head, standing next to Yosho. "Oh, no, Noriyasu-san, despite appearances, Ranma is a boy," she assured.

Yosho smirked, looking around the hastily assembled office. Washuu glanced at him, guessing he was noting the 'Defense Headquarters' sign that had been stuck to the window. Men and women were scattered about the place, answering phones and sorting through large stacks of paper. In the back of the room, there was a giant map of the city with markers stuck to it representing various units.

Washuu squinted, trying to count them, as someone walked up to the board with a checklist, and began removing them. A young man, semi-unruly hair, and a very tired air about him. He finished removing the markers, shaking his head, and picked up another clipboard, shuffling some of the other markers around. "Seta-san!" he yelled, not looking away from the board. "We haven't heard from Mano-san in a while."

Seta glanced back, rubbing at his stubble, and shaking his head. "She should be fine, Oe-kun. She's with Aoyama at the moment."

The young man - Oe - nodded to himself, mumbling. "Motoko and Yohko in Funabashi-ku..." he sighed, turning towards Seta. "We're going to lose that area, tonight. We've lost too many people on that front."

Seta frowned, scratching his chin. "How short are we?"

Oe rubbed at his eyes, knuckling back a yawn. "Not sure... Looking grim, but we need at least ... five more people, I think. Is there any good news?"

Seta glanced at Washuu and Yosho, then nodded, raising his voice for everyone to hear. "Ladies, Gentlemen! We have some great news." Everyone fell silent, turning to look at Seta. "We have a confirmed kill, today, and Hakubi-san here says that one of the new members has already killed three - ah, 'reavers' himself, not counting the one today, which Masaki-san here dealt with!"

Ragged cheers erupted, and even Oe managed a wan smile.

Washuu winced, as a sharp yell rose from her communicator, though the others couldn't hear it. She heaved a shuddering sigh, unable to keep her eyes dry with the pain she could hear in Ranma's voice. "There's another confirmed kill in Nerima," she whispered hoarsely. 


	4. Chapter 03

Process of Elimination - Chapter Three

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

Additional tinting provided by: TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A. (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku), Fujishima Kosuke (You're Under Arrest), Miyao Gaku (Devil Hunter Yohko), Takashi Yabara, Viz, SNK (Fatal Fury), Yuzo Takada, A. (Blue Seed), and of course, Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.  


* * *

_ "It'd be nice to think that everything was black and white, and we were good, and the reavers were bad, but [...] they didn't care. They weren't things that could. Can't make their own choices, or anything [...] so how do you say that they're any more evil than any other weapon? Certainly, dangerous [...] but evil? You have to be able to make decisions for yourself, to be evil. Like [the defenders]."_

- Interview with Counselor Aric for G.N.N., Terran Year 2008

XXX

Seta blinked at Washuu for a long moment, looking at her over his glasses, stopping only to grab a phone when it rang. "Hello? This is Central. Urashima-kun? I see... Okay. Head to the harbor before it goes down. Right. We'll try to rendezvous there at ... 5:00 tonight, unless something else comes up first. Right." He hung up the phone, sighing.

Oe frowned at the wall chart, scratching his head. "We're in trouble. Who was that?"

The murmurs and phone calls resumed, the various people in the office returning to their own duties. Apparently oblivious to Washuu and Yosho, Seta drawled, "That was Urashima-kun. Koara-san's defensive perimeter is going to give out in about six hours, maybe less. Most everyone is already evacuated, right?"

Oe grimaced, glancing between a few points on the chart and giving some numbers back to Seta. Washuu didn't have the time to spend worrying about that, and shook her head, trying to stop distracting herself. "I need to get to Nerima."

Seta and Oe broke off their calculations to stare at her. Yosho moved to stand beside her, showing his support. Seta shrugged, glancing at a report. "Well, we need more coverage in the Yoko...hama..." he trailed off, seeing the raw worry tinged with anger in Washuu's eyes. "Um ... yeah, Miyuki and Natsumi can take you there."

XXX

Ranma shook, lurching to her feet and trying to calm herself. Her clearest memories since meeting Washuu were her father, and the girls ... but the girls were out of her reach for the moment, and her father... "Pops," she gasped, eyes flaring with emotion. She was only dimly aware of the people around her, moving away to avoid the reaver's fumes, or possibly her aura, but she was too hurt and alone to care.

Nodoka shook nervously, not understanding how Ranko was able to ... fly ... and unnerved by the dark, crackling aura that flared about the girl, cold seeming to emanate from her as she slumped to her knees. The older woman looked to Kasumi for support, but _she_ was only able to stare, her mouth a round 'o' of shock.

Ryouga edged away, not quite understanding what had happened, and trying to sort things out. He blinked, as realization set in. "No," he whispered. He glanced at Mousse, who was staring at Ranma with undisguised anger, and the two shared a nod.

Ranma had spirited away their loves, and Ranma would pay.

Ranma flailed, soaring across the yard and plowing into the wall across the koi pond from Ryouga's first blow. She climbed to her feet, staggering, and shook her head, trying to clear it from the punch. Ran-oh-ki had tumbled from her shoulder and was standing before her protectively, hissing angrily at Ryouga.

"What..." she mumbled, rubbing her jaw in confusion, and turning to stare at Ryouga and Mousse. "What the hell?"

Mousse lashed out with a length of chain, catching Ranma off guard and tangling the redhead. "Saotome! What have you done with Shampoo?"

"And Akane-san! Saotome Ranma, if you have let her come to harm, I swear..." he trailed off, marching forward angrily.

Ranma's jaw dropped, and she was unable to react before Ryouga reached her, slamming his fist into her stomach and angling upwards sharply, knocking her backwards and then to the ground. She choked, spitting out blood, disoriented and confused, while Ryouga knelt down in preparation to strike her again.

Ran-oh-ki snarled, leaping at the large martial artist's fist and sinking his tiny teeth deep into the lost boy's flesh. Ryouga cried out, flinging the creature towards a wall, hard.

Hissing, and feeling the pain from the link when Ran-oh-ki failed to phase through the wall, Ranma drifted upwards, allowing the chain to sink through her. She grabbed the startled Ryouga's neck easily. She nearly laughed, able to ignore whatever pain she was in, but not able to withstand Ran-oh-ki's. Mousse and Ryouga were only able to gawk, as Ranma slowly tightened her hands around Ryouga's windpipe. "What do you think you're doing?" she seethed. "Who are you talking about?"

Mousse had the presence of mind to answer, as Ryouga's face began to color, "Ranma! You don't even remember your own fiancee?"

Startled again, Ranma released Ryouga, allowing the boy to drop to the ground. She stared about her, stunned. "Ak...Akane... I remember her ... and ... Shampoo... Of course. And Ukyou!" She shivered, rubbing her head. "I remember," she whispered hoarsely.

Ryouga climbed to his feet, stepping back warily as Ran-oh-ki limped back to Ranma's side. Wiping at his bloodied hand, the lost boy snarled, "Well what the hell did you do with them?"

Ranma's head snapped up to meet Ryouga's gaze and she glowered at him. "I sent them away. On my pass. I got them to think Ukyou was me, and sent her with Akane, and then put Shampoo in the suitcase ... so they'd all get away..."

She shivered again, wrapping her arms around herself. "But a reaver attacked ... something went wrong ... I got... I stopped it. I got them onto the ship anyway." She shuddered, dropping to her knees, Ran-oh-ki plaintively nuzzling her ankle. "I won ... I saved them."

Ryouga stared for a moment longer, then hung his head and turned away, remaining silent.

Ranma blinked, remembering suddenly, and turned to look at Nodoka and Kasumi, both still frozen with shock. Trembling, Ranma climbed to her feet, taking an unsteady step forward. "Mom?" she asked, eyes wide with worry and bright with unshed tears. "You're okay?"

Nodoka stepped back, shaking her head. "No ... no, you're not Ranma." She giggled, slightly hysterical. "You're not even Ranko. I don't know _what_ you are!"

Ranma was struck by the emotional hammer-blow, staggering to fall to her knees again. "No," she gasped, fighting back tears and confusion, "Mom! It's me! I'm Ranma!" Nodoka stepped back further, disappearing into the house, her hysterical and frightened laughter trailing her. "But..." Ranma choked out, turning to Kasumi.

Kasumi took a step back - only one - and the disappointment with herself shone on her face for it ... but Ranma knew what it meant and staggered to her feet, stumbling across the yard to lean against the crumbling wall, away from the woman. Eyes wide, she stared at the ground, struggling to breathe ... she didn't need to breathe. Stupid, she told herself, forgetting ... forgetting you aren't even human anymore.

XXX

Nabiki watched the newcomers leave, having to wonder at the coincidence. Ranma was gone, though. The Ranma that she had known. It was reasonable to think that there was another Saotome Ranma, possibly even one capable of fighting the monsters...

But...

She stood suddenly, setting down her phone, and approached Seta and Oe, both of them trying to hash out some numbers on a clipboard before the main map. "Okay," Seta said, tracing a line and tapping his chin thoughtfully, "we've only got a rough estimate, and that's about ten million people to evacuate. Most of them have already been moved to the harbor area, right?"

Oe nodded, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "That's right," he said, glancing at some of the figures, "we're out of carriers, really ... but ... there is a way to get more people out."

Seta glanced over the numbers again. "Freight?"

"Essentially. We just need to find a way to offload whatever - at this point - useless cargo they're carrying, and then make temporary shelters below decks."

Frowning, Seta shook his head. "That won't work." Oe blinked, setting the clipboard down and drawing a small book that had been tucked into his belt out. He flipped to an empty page, while Seta waited, then wrote as the man spoke. "There's practically no usable space in a lot of those freighters below decks. However, we _can_ take the existing freight, and throw it out, leaving the boxes. Some of those could be converted to temporary shelter."

Oe slipped the book back into his belt behind him, nodding. "That's true. I'll arrange what I can to take care of that."

Seta nodded to him, slapping the boy on the shoulder. "If we're moving out in six hours, plan it, then try to grab some sleep. You've been working for nearly three days straight, and we've got to figure out how to move more than ten million people."

Nodding again, Oe wandered back to a corner desk and began discussing something with the man there. Seta turned to Nabiki expectantly. "Tendo-san? Is there a problem?"

She shook her head, glancing around the office. "Not at the moment, but I need to get home to check on something."

Seta nodded, absently withdrawing a cigarette from his pocket and placing it in his mouth before he remembered the 'no smoking' rule. Sighing, he placed it back where he had drawn it from. "Understandable, Tendo-san. Hopefully we'll see you later?"

She shrugged, glancing towards the tactical map. "I'll probably be moving to Central Defense East, now. They're going to need more help at the moment."

Grimacing, Seta studied the map again. "Agreed. Keep in touch, and say hello to Koara-san when you see her."

Nabiki nodded, grabbing her purse and running out the door. She just had to know...

XXX

Washuu opened the door, worming her way free of the tiny patrol car before it even stopped. Yosho was there before her, catching her before she could hit the ground, then setting her down and backing away.

She spared a momentary glance for him, ignoring the traffic police as their vehicle slid to a halt, and pushed herself to run all-out towards Ranma. She could see the shorter redhead, gone pale with shock at something, and hear her through the communication link, whimpering softly about her mother. "Oh, no!" Washuu whispered, grabbing the diminutive redhead in an embrace and raising a warning hand towards the two boys she did not recognize in the yard.

Ranma stared at her, confused, and Washuu made a soothing noise, pulling Ranma back towards the waiting car. "Ranma? Are you okay?" Ran-oh-ki was busy nuzzling Ranma's cheek, trying to get a reaction from the girl, while she mumbled, shivering. Not with cold, Washuu knew, but pain, and not even physical pain, at that.

"Oh ... Ranma... Yosho? We need to find a place to take him, if we can." Miyuki and Natsumi stared, climbing out of the patrol car and blinking in surprise.

Miyuki sighed, shaking her head. "Central Defense East isn't far from here."

Washuu nodded, managing to get herself and Ranma into the car, while Yosho nimbly leapt to crouch on the roof. Natsumi stared at Yosho before climbing into the car again and muttering, "I remember when we used to _bust_ people for this nonsense, and now we're actively encouraging it."

Miyuki grinned, accelerating slowly to give Yosho time to compensate and avoid being thrown. "I remember our initial meeting, don't forget." Blanching, Natsumi fell silent.

Washuu shook her head, glancing over at Nuku, still seeming to be asleep where she had been left, and then back to Ranma, no longer crying, and instead simply staring blankly. "Oh," she whispered to herself, "what else can go wrong?"

XXX

"...and thus, in accordance with the ruling of this, the Supreme council, we will be dispatching the primary volunteer force to colony 0-315 later tonight. Through use of the Throne, a force of no less than thirty cruisers will be utilized, with an estimated capacity not to exceed twenty million refugees."

Tsunami blinked, trying to brush off an odd pang of hurt and distraction that she couldn't quite place. The bespectacled Counselor reading the missive nodded to himself, mumbling, and began reading the next paragraph.

"The secondary task force, which should be able to contain the larger mass of refugees will arrive at a point approximately five months from this date-" he broke off, muttering. "We're going to need to calculate the exact hours on that one. Hmph."

Adjusting his spectacles again, he surveyed the rest of the Supreme Council, then turned back to the missive before him. Tsunami masked a thoughtful frown. Jakugo, she thought his name was, though he was not memorable. Aside from which, the odd, slow melding of Sasami's mind and hers left much confused.

"Five months from this date. It is the express understanding of this council at this point in time that because of the expenditure of energy involved in the process, the Throne will be used only one time. However, in order to increase the capacity for transport, it will be used both to transport the initial survivor wave to, _and_ from, colony 0-315."

He sighed, shaking his head, and Tsunami found herself struggling to pay attention to his speech. On the one hand, she knew it was important, and how much so, but at the same time ... the man had a gift for explaining things in the most long-winded and _dull_ manner she had ever known.

"I trust we can all agree with this ruling?"

A side effect of the slow fusion, she told herself, nodding along with the rest of the council. She would have to try and find a way to contact Washuu and ask her opinion on the subject.

Turning away from Jakugo, Tsunami carefully studied Tenchi, sitting to her left and holding Ayeka's hand beneath the table. He looked as though he wished to object, but grudgingly nodded. "That'll..." he trailed off, clearing his throat. "I agree with said ruling at present."

The counselor nodded, shuffling through his papers and setting them where any could review. "In that case, I move that we take a recess until after the initial rescue operation." At Tenchi's expression, he smoothly supplied, "This should give any interested parties a chance to observe the mission directly."

Tsunami had to hide a smile at that. Dull or not, the man had a clever tongue. A wonder that that intrigued her when the content of his speech did not...

Tenchi glanced at Ayeka, who nodded very subtly. The boy placed his hand over the green disk before him, followed shortly by everyone else at the table. There was a subtle, but palpable feeling of relief from all present as the Emperor rose, knocking on the table twice with his scepter. "This hearing is adjourned. We will reconvene after the initial rescue operation returns." He cocked his head to one side as everyone rose and said in a slightly less formal tone, "Tenchi. I would speak with you privately."

Blinking, Tenchi nodded, while Ayeka stood, releasing his hand. Tsunami rose smoothly, pacing towards the Emperor sedately, while the rest of the Council drifted away, some of them murmuring about softly about various details and measures.

The Emperor stared at Tsunami for a long moment, seemingly ready to challenge her presence, but stilled when Tenchi drew near with Ayeka. The princess bowed demurely, backing away when she saw her father's expression. Ayeka shot Tsunami a glance laced with confusion and worry, then let her eyes rest on Tenchi as she drew out of hearing range.

"Humm..." Azusa remarked, looking Tenchi over from head to toe.

Tenchi blinked nervously, seeing both Funaho and Misaki standing behind Azusa attentively. "Yes?" he asked, apprehension apparent in his voice.

Azusa shook his head, walking around Tenchi in a slow circle. "You manage yourself ... poorly, within our courts."

Tenchi grimaced, standing still and saying nothing.

"I would prefer that ... your grandfather claim the throne."

Tenchi blinked, his grimace lessening to a frown. "What are you trying to say?" he asked, rubbing at the trefoil mark on his forehead.

Azusa sighed, turning to look at his wives, who both remained impassive for the moment. "If you convince my son to return with the refugees, then I will see to it that the evacuation proceeds more swiftly."

Tenchi's jaw slowly fell and his hands twitched. Tsunami could tell by his expression and demeanor alone that he was forcing himself not to draw the Tenchi-ken. "So," he grated out, breathing deeply, "you're saying that you're letting my home be destroyed, and the people of my planet die, simply because you want my grandfather to come back and take over for you?"

Tsunami frowned at Azusa, crossing her arms beneath her chest, but saying nothing. Azusa merely shook his head, explaining, "It is not as you say it. I simply advise you that should you convince him to return, the evacuation of your home world might move more swiftly. Other than that ... you are dismissed."

The boy before Tsunami only gaped, unable to do anything as the Emperor whirled, stalking away quickly to be trailed by his wives. Ayeka closed the distance between herself and Tenchi swiftly, taking his hand before he could speak. "Tenchi-sama," she said in a low voice, "let us return to your quarters. We will be leaving for Earth later, and you will need to rest before we depart to account for the time difference."

Tenchi wrenched his attention away from the swiftly receding figure of Azusa, nodding dumbly at Ayeka and allowing himself to be led away.

Tsunami watched him walk away, feeling faint bemusement at his departure. There was still some small hurt, but she could see that Tenchi was pained, too. As was Ayeka, and to a degree, Ryoko.

Ironic ... she knew so well that she loved Tenchi ... and that Tenchi did not love her back, even if he _did_ have concern for her, and he _did_ care. She wiped at one eye absently, unable to hold back the hurt that grew when she thought on it too long.

But his pain lessened, as did theirs, when they were together. How could she begrudge him that?

She sighed, shaking her head. There was grief, but beyond that, she was secure in the knowledge of the people who still did care for her, even worlds away. The mere knowledge that they were there was enough to counter the pain she knew she should feel.

But the worry for them began to gnaw at her, the more she thought of them. She needed to see them again to make sure all was well - she might not have another chance, having to throw herself into the complex politics of the Juraian government to help Tenchi.

She sighed, shaking her head, and whispering to the silent, empty room, "Onee-san, Yosho, I worry about you, and miss you... Ranma-dono, I hope you are safe. I hope you are well when I return."

XXX

Nabiki rubbed at her temples, shooting a particularly scathing glance at Mousse and Ryouga, both of whom were still looking stunned. "Okay," she said softly, trying to put together what she could from their story. "Your team fought a monster, and Saotome-san died killing it."

They nodded.

"Then Ranma showed up, just in time to see his father die."

Another nod.

"And then, you tried to kill him."

Very hesitantly this time, they nodded again.

"And then Ranma explained that he essentially sacrificed himself to save Akane, Shampoo, _and_ Ukyou." She had to fight to keep a note of admiration out of her voice. He was clever to manage that, cleverer than she had originally suspected, that was certain.

The next nod was very meek.

"And then Ranma tried to talk to his mother, and she freaked out because Ranma's gained some weird new powers and called her 'Mom' in his cursed form ... and you just stood there, letting him suffer?"

The next nod was even meeker, as the two boys cringed before Nabiki.

"Okay, then. When I find Ranma, I'm going to bring him back here. And both of you idiots are going to apologize. Kami! The poor boy just lost his _father_! Do you-" she cut herself off abruptly, rubbing at her temples and closing her eyes. "Never mind. Where is Ranma's mother? And Kasumi?"

The boys pointed mutely towards the stairs, and Nabiki rose, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay. You two, call the civil department, and get help removing that thing from the backyard. Once that's done, I want you to find Daddy and talk to him about finding a suitable resting place for Saotome-san's remains."

They nodded again, making her wonder if they could do more than that. At least it was something, though, that they _were_ ashamed of their actions. She was half-afraid they'd be proud. Sighing, she climbed the stairs, wondering idly where her father had _gone_... She didn't think he'd run away, like the old man had just after Ranma disappeared.

Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought, knocking on the door to Kasumi's bedroom. Her sister answered it hesitantly after a moment, peeking out, then ushering her inside and closing the door behind her.

Nabiki smiled half-heartedly at Kasumi, then turned her attention to Nodoka, sitting on Kasumi's bed and breathing heavily, eyes wide as she stared at the floor. Her makeup was perfect, her hair all in order, and her kimono was only slightly rumpled. She looked every inch the lady. How like a china doll, Nabiki marveled, so perfect, and yet so fragile ... and so unyielding.

"Nodoka-san?"

The woman seemed to struggle for some modicum of control, and managed to school her expression, hiding her hysteria externally. Smiling genially at Nabiki, she asked, "Yes, dear?"

"Can you talk to me about what happened?"

Nodoka twittered nervously, "I don't know! I saw, but ... I don't know!" Shuddering, she managed to calm herself and said, "I ... I saw Ranko-ch... I saw Ranko, and she was wearing the most shameful outfit-" She giggled hysterically into her sleeve for a moment, then started over, "I saw Ranko, only, she was glowing, and ... and she was able to make a chain go through her, and ... and ... and those boys kept calling her 'Ranma'..."

Nabiki smiled glumly. "Yeah ... well, that's a long story. What else?"

"She ... the girl called me 'mother'! But ... but she's a monster - her eyes, you should have seen them! She's not..." She trailed off, shivering. "I thought she was a monster come to take me away, next. Like one of the ones that ... that... Where ... where is Genma?"

Nabiki sighed again, turning towards the door and striding forward briskly. Kasumi halted her progress, her expression cross, and raised a hand in warning. Nabiki rolled her eyes, whispering, "The poor woman's in shock. Snap her out of it and get her ready to meet Ranma. If I can, I'm bringing him back here - back home."

Kasumi nodded dutifully, looking at Nodoka with worry. "Yes, imouto-chan... You're right. Good luck."

"Luck," Nabiki muttered, already on her way out down the stairs. "I'm going to need it, I think."

XXX

Ranma stood at Washuu's side as the taller redhead studied 'Central Defense East.' A large, low building, with a massive generator situated to one side, half of the windows boarded up, and smoke pouring out of chimneys on the opposite end. Her attention, however, was focused on Ranma, who stood lifelessly, not reacting.

Washuu sighed and moved towards the building.

Before the doorway, there was a large table covered with papers, weighted down with a multitude of small paperweights, and a massive radio transceiver. The radio hissed for a moment with static, making Ran-oh-ki hiss back briefly before he returned to trying to get Ranma's attention. A young man wearing glasses and with his sleeves rolled up frowned at the papers, muttering to himself occasionally.

He glanced up when Washuu stepped towards him, nodding. "Hello, welcome to C.D.E.," the young man greeted them. "I'm Urashima Keitaro, and right now I'm managing this station. Are you here to offer help, or are you in need of medical assistance?"

Washuu shook her head, wishing that it were as simple a problem as that. "Ah, no. I'm Hakubi Washuu, and this is Saotome Ranma and Masaki Yosho. We need a bit of room to work with. For one thing, Nuku-san was damaged, and I'd like to try and repair her, and for another ... well ... Ranma needs a place to sit down for a while."

Keitaro stared for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, Koara-san's inside right now, along with a few others. She should be able to help you out. He glanced to his feet, frowning, and Washuu followed his gaze. A small pile of watermelons, previously hidden from her sight came into her view. She sighed, seeing Ran-oh-ki valiantly attempting to push one towards Ranma. "Uh," Keitaro said, staring at the creature in confusion, "is this yours?"

Washuu nodded, crouching down to collect Ran-oh-ki and placing him in Ranma's unresisting hands. "Yes. Sorry about that."

Keitaro shrugged, turning back to his papers. "Don't worry about it. I've got more than enough. Otohime-chan keeps bringing them over, heh... I wonder where she gets them all. Anyway, if you want one, please help yourselves."

Yosho shrugged, collecting one of the large fruits before following Ranma and Washuu inside. "Yosho, could you bring Nuku-san for me?" He nodded at her request, juggling the melon idly and walking back towards the car while Washuu's eyes adjusted to the dim interior lighting.

Ran-oh-ki's eyes nearly glowed a soft, golden amber, and he loosed a quiet, "Miyah..."

Washuu smirked, relaxing as Ranma absently scratched its ears. "Yeah, yeah, rat..." she whispered half-heartedly. Washuu's smile faded, noting the luminescence of Ranma's own eyes ... which meant that Ranma had managed to lose enough mass to be replaced that she was actually becoming less human. First the eyes, and then the other secondary characteristics - ears, teeth, the hair had already changed - and then the internal organs...

She had talked about it with Ranma while they journeyed to Tokyo, but wasn't certain how much of it had stuck. "Ranma?" she asked worriedly. Ranma slowly looked at Washuu, her eyes painfully, piercing blue.

"Yes?" she asked, listlessly.

"It's... It's okay, Ranma." Ranma nodded, turning to look around blankly. Washuu sighed, blinking and looking around once her eyes had adjusted. Tables, scattered everywhere, most of them nearly buried under half-disassembled machinery, and a few people poking through them, occasionally adding parts to bins. At the far end of the chamber, near the generator, a young woman with pale white hair and loose-fitting garments was slowly assembling some small device.

The light from the doorway dimmed for a moment, Yosho entering with Nuku. He glanced around, blinking, and stood near Washuu expectantly. "Well?" he asked.

Washuu frowned at him, then moved over towards the young woman - she looked to be in charge. "Koara-san, I presume?"

She looked up wearily, pausing her assembly for a moment and rubbing her hands together, wincing at the sensation. "Yes, that's me. Are you here to help? We're fighting a losing battle with this, I think they're learning to ignore the decoys."

Washuu blinked, studying the objects. Smallish projectiles, likely self-sustained. That would distract the reavers, if they behaved at all like living things, simply dodging about... "This is the ... uh ... defensive screen, Koara-san?"

Koara nodded, still rubbing her hands. "It's okay if you aren't going to help," she said slowly, "and you can just call me Suu."

Washuu shook her head. "No, I'll help. I need to repair Nuku-san here, first," she said, pointing back towards the girl, still carried by Yosho.

Suu looked at Nuku for a long moment, then shrugged. "Do you mind if I help you? If I build another decoy without a break, I think my head will explode."

Washuu nodded, eager to start putting things back together - and not just the damaged redhead in Yosho's arms. "Certainly. I might be able to help you, once we have Nuku-san operational again."

XXX

Nuku-Nuku opened her eyes slowly, seeing the dim light and knowing that her injuries were repaired. "Papa-san?" she asked hopefully.

"No, Nuku-san, my name is Washuu, and this is Suu. How are you feeling?"

She sat up, looking around, and said the only thing she could think of. "Ryunosuke still can't play with Nuku-Nuku?"

Washuu shook her head sadly and whispered, "I can't fix that, Child."

XXX

Washuu stood on one end of the long building's roof, near the generator, feeling it rumble and make the area vibrate gently. The reverberations passed through her feet and upwards, nearly a pleasant, soothing sensation. But...

There were just some things she couldn't fix. And it hurt. Ranma sat on the other end of the roof near the chimneys, ignoring the smoke since she knew she didn't have to breathe anymore. Washuu bit her lip, wondering what she could do.

It hurt her to watch, remembering Ranma's normal attitude - the boisterous smile and raucous laughter ... gone now, sealed away behind the mask of pain and rejection. Washuu wished that there were some way to summon Tsunami, but both of the Juraian trees were gone and the fleet still hadn't sent a signal. Ran-oh-ki would know and tell Ranma when they arrived, but until then...

She sighed, slipping down to sit on the peak of the roof and wonder. Tsunami might be able to cheer Ranma, since Ranma and Tsunami had gone through such similar ordeals. But the Goddess of Jurai wasn't at hand.

And Ranma didn't like to open up to people. She didn't like to be vulnerable to anyone. Maybe she'd never learned how.

Washuu cocked her head to one side, looking at the girl. She didn't even seem to want to regain the mass to become male again. Ironic ... she had people who did care about her, Washuu knew. Herself, Yosho ... probably the two traffic policewomen, and even Nuku, were Ranma willing to ask. Momiji, too, wherever she had gone.

And yet she didn't open up to any of them.

Washuu shook her head, wishing she could help. It wasn't that Ranma was her only hope against the reavers. Seeing the defense that the survivors of Tokyo had already mounted showed her that. It was more personal. Ranma was ... a friend. At least. Ranma had protected her, but more importantly, she'd laughed with her, talked with her...

And she would let Washuu heal her body, and would willingly throw herself into danger to protect those around her ... but why wouldn't she let Washuu try to heal her other hurts? Death was something that Washuu could not undo, but sometimes the pains of living grew great as well.

Sighing, she crept over to Ranma, sitting within touching distance and somehow hoping she could get the smaller redhead to open up. "Ranma?" she asked softly.

"Yes?" Ranma said mechanically, with less life and emotion than even Nuku had used. Her blue eyes didn't move from Ran-oh-ki, her fingers idly batting at his paws as he tried to counter Ranma's attempts to tickle his chin.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, still hunched in on herself, playing with her partner. "I'm fine. Just playing with the rat."

Washuu shook her head, searching for something to say. "You know," she said quietly, "I hate being alone."

Ranma nodded. "I don't like sleeping alone." She sighed. "Me and Pop used to always sleep in the same room."

"I was once trapped on the Soja." Washuu shivered, wrapping her arms around herself more tightly, glancing at Ranma out of the corner of one eye. "I was trapped ... half-asleep, for..." she heaved a shuddering sigh. "For nearly five thousand years." She was almost ashamed at the way her voice cracked, and spent a long moment inspecting her hands, unable to meet Ranma's eyes. "I hated it. It was so cold ... and I couldn't see ... or touch ... or hear... And I couldn't dream. It was so lonely, and I was only allowed to wake so rarely."

She shuddered again, calming when she felt Ranma's soft hand pressing into her back. She slid herself towards Ranma, putting one arm around the girl and pulling her closer. "I remember that when I sleep. I hate to sleep alone, too. Ranma ... what I'm saying is ... you don't _have_ to be alone. Do you understand?"

Ranma nodded silently, her face twisting as tears spilled from her eyes, rolling down her face. "I'm so... I don't know what to do! I ... can't blame you. If it weren't for you I'd be dead. But it hurts. It hurts so much!"

Washuu soothed Ranma as the redhead clung to her, finally letting it out, more than the brief interlude earlier, letting _all_ of the emotion free, a tide that swept out, nearly overwhelming her with its intensity. "You aren't alone, Ranma. You'll always have me, and Yosho ... and Tsunami cares for you dearly, you know."

Ranma nodded, burying her face in Washuu's shoulder and releasing a wracking sob. Tsunami was right, Washuu decided. Ranma really did have a beautiful heart. One that deserved to bear so much less a burden.

XXX

Keitaro frowned at his watch, then shook his head. "Suu-ch- I mean, Koara-san?"

The woman emerged from the building a moment later, looking even more weary than before. "Yes, Keitaro?"

Keitaro squinted at the map, sighing. "How many decoys are active?"

The young woman checked a counter on her bracelet, and mumbled, "Forty. No, thirty-nine."

"How long do you think that'll hold?"

"Same as before." Suu sighed wearily, only glancing upwards as a pair of redheads drifted down through the air slowly, laughing softly together.

Ranma set Washuu on the ground and grimaced, rubbing her stomach. "I think I should eat somethin'."

Keitaro snorted, turning back to his papers and gesturing to the ever-present stack of watermelons. "Help yourself."

Washuu nodded, taking Suu's hand. "Yes, you do that, Ranma. Suu-chan, let me help you for a bit. I might have a few ideas that will improve the decoys you've already got, or at least give them a wider range."

Ranma sat on the ground rolling a watermelon into her lap and examining it for a moment. Ran-oh-ki leapt from the roof and bounced off her head, then landed on the watermelon with his signature cry. "Hey, rat," Ranma snickered.

The creature sniffed imperiously, looking away.

"Well, I'm going to cut this open, and then eat it, so you're gonna have to sit somewhere else." Ran-oh-ki pouted as Ranma set him to the side, then cut the watermelon in half with a single swipe of her hand. "Hah!" she exclaimed, setting half on the ground before her partner and taking the other for herself.

XXX

Nabiki jumped off of the back of the truck, waving to the two men in the front who were driving first-aid supplies down the harbor. She dusted herself off, frowning at a loose thread in her jeans. Could be worse, she decided, ignoring it for the present. She could have had much worse.

She looked up at Central Defense East, seeing the operator's room on the second floor, above the machine shop. She blinked, seeing Ranma sitting in the yard, looking relatively calm and passively eating watermelon. Along with some small animal that rapidly seemed to consume several times its own volume in fruit. But it _was_ Ranma. And something about that, after everything that had happened, beyond what she had heard from Mousse and Ryouga ... unsettled her.

She walked towards the redhead, noting another man sitting near her and chatting casually. Yosho, she remembered suddenly from seeing him at Central. She heard Yosho's voice first, as Ranma hadn't noticed her. "So he likes watermelon? Saves us trouble with carrots, in that case."

"Hah!" Ranma retorted, wiping some watermelon juice from her chin. "He'll eat anything. Seems to like scrap metal best. I'll be damned if I can tell where he puts it, though."

Nabiki stared at Ranma, absorbing the details. She was so much the same, but ... the eyes. Kami, she shivered to herself. Her eyes were so ... so breathtaking and ethereally beautiful. And yet ... so obviously not human. The way they irised, more like a cat than a human, slim, oval shaped pupils in the light, and luminous ... almost enough so to glow in the sun's intensity. She caught herself and tried to sound cheerful, forcing back her nervousness, "Ranma-kun! So nice to see you again!"

Ranma was on her feet in an instant, the last few pieces of her slice of watermelon falling, quickly snatched up by the little animal near her. "What do you want?" she asked sullenly.

Nabiki raised her hands in a placating gesture, her heart skipping a beat. "To apologize for what happened, Ranma. I wanted to ask you how you were." And ask you to come back, she said to herself.

She stared at Nabiki for a long moment before relaxing and sitting down, motioning Nabiki to do the same. Nabiki took a seat, eyeing the furry creature apprehensively as it climbed into her lap and sniffed at her for a moment before returning to Ranma. "What is that?" she asked, trying to identify it.

"The rat?" Ranma asked, smirking, and wincing slightly as the creature bit her hand by way of return. "This is my partner, Ran-oh-ki. He can show me what he sees and hears. Washuu says he can fly through the stars, but I don't know what good that does me." She shook herself suddenly, gesturing to Yosho. "This is Masaki Yosho. He and Washuu traveled with me from Okayama."

Nabiki nodded. "Tendo Nabiki. Nice to meet you. I'm Ranma's fiancee's sister."

Ranma frowned at that, but said nothing. Yosho merely raised an eyebrow, commenting, "Pleasant meeting you. I think I saw you at the central office." He offered her a slice of watermelon, which she accepted. Ranma idly teased Ran-oh-ki with a watermelon rind, the furry creature claiming large bites whenever it could.

Nabiki stared at the slice of watermelon in her hand for a long moment. On the one hand, she had no idea what to say to Ranma anymore. On the other hand, as easy as things seemed, she wasn't sure she needed to say _anything_. After a long moment, something came to her. "Ranma-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

She blinked at Nabiki, oblivious as Ran-oh-ki managed to devour the dangling melon rind bite-by-bite. "What are you thanking me for?"

Nabiki smiled, taking a bite from the fruit and staring at the sky, a few stray clouds dotting it. "Thanks for taking care of Akane, Ranma. I don't know what Daddy's going to say, but thank you. I think you were brilliant. And as much as I teased you ... I guess I'm... Well, I'm impressed by what you did for my sister and your other fiancees. That was very considerate of you."

Ranma colored slightly, managing a sheepish grin. "Uh ... well... I couldn't ditch any of them. I mean, I had to take care of all of them. Honor, and all that..." she trailed off shrugging, but still smiling. "I live to protect, I guess. Now, anyway." Her gaze hardened slightly, overshadowing her grin.

Yosho nodded knowingly. "The path of the warrior is never a friendly path, Ranma. We walk it because we must, not because we wish to. That's what strength is; fighting when you have to."

Nabiki giggled, "You sound a lot like someone I used to know."

Ranma snorted, waving a hand dismissively. "This guy's a _lot_ brighter than Kuno."

Sobering, Nabiki nodded. "That may be true ... but you shouldn't speak unkindly of Kuno-san."

Ranma sighed, shaking her head as Ran-oh-ki climbed into her lap and dozed. "Him too?" she asked softly. At Nabiki's nod, Ranma hung her head sadly. "Every time I think things can't possibly be going any worse, I... Damn." She stood suddenly, sending Ran-oh-ki tumbling to land atop another watermelon. The outline of Ranma's body seemed to shimmer for a moment, then shook her head again. "Need more mass. Watermelon isn't filling enough."

Nabiki rose slowly, along with Yosho. "Ranma?" she offered hesitantly. "Would you like to come back with me?"

Ranma blinked, frowning. "Why?"

Nabiki frowned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'd ... well, we'd like you to come back. Your mother..." She winced at Ranma's pained expression. "She'll understand better. It's just the shock. And I know some people who owe you an apology, too."

The man stretched, then sighed. "Ranma, I'm going to go see where they need help. You should do whatever you feel is best." Ranma nodded after the old man, staring thoughtfully at the ground for a long moment.

"I ... guess so, Nabiki," she said uncertainly, still not meeting the girl's eyes. Nabiki was secretly thankful for it. Her alien eyes were so ... unsettling. She simply couldn't put it into words.

"Okay, Ranma, let's go see about catching a ride back to Nerima."

Ranma adjusted the small blue gem hanging near her ear and shook her head. "Washuu? I'm going to be in Nerima for a while. Call on me if you need me." She turned her attention back to Nabiki as Ran-oh-ki leapt into her hands. "No need for a car, Nabiki. I'll show you something neat."

XXX

Ranma swept Nabiki off her feet, secretly pleased with the seemingly imperious girl's yelp of surprise. "See?" she said, raising her voice slightly to be heard, while Ran-oh-ki floated to rest in Nabiki's lap.

Nabiki schooled her expression after a moment, giving Ranma a very cool and calmly collected look, arching one eyebrow slightly upwards, though she could see a glint of apprehension in the girl's eyes still. "When did you learn how to do this? Or the ... other things? Mousse told me about the chain."

Ranma felt her smile slip slightly and tried to shrug it off, scanning ahead for a familiar landmark from Nerima. "I'm not completely human anymore, Nabiki. When I get hurt, I get ... replaced with ... well, other stuff. Washuu could explain it better, but it doesn't really matter."

The girl in her arms was silent for a long moment, only the thin wind against them making noise, Nabiki's shirt snapping occasionally in the breeze. Ran-oh-ki sighed, settling down for a nap, and Nabiki patted him absently after brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "You must really hate whoever did that to you."

Ranma stopped suddenly, hovering in midair, and looked at Nabiki, thinking. "Hate her? I... No, I don't. I can't, really. I would have been dead otherwise." She nodded slowly, looking down at the city below her.

Nabiki bit her lip. "You'd rather be a monster than dead?" She winced a moment later, realizing what she had said.

Ranma sighed, the life fading from her eyes for a moment. "'Monster'? I ... I don't care. I can protect people, like this. I'm strong enough to save people, or at least try. I didn't ask for it, but I don't care. Even if it costs me everything I have... Damn it, Nabiki! I already gave up Shampoo, Akane, and Ucchan! I don't... I don't think anything else matters as much." She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "I bet this is going to cost me my mother, and I already lost Pops.

"So what? I still got people to protect, things to live for. I'm going to fight, and I'm going to protect everything I can. Those stupid bugs killed me. They destroyed everything I really cared about..." she trailed off, glumly remembering Yosho's words on the reavers on the trip from Yokohama. "I'm not alone. I just ... lost a lot of what I had.

"I don't know. This is probably stupid to you. But I don't know if it really matters ... you know? I mean, I'll still do what I can to protect. That's what I live for, like I said." Ranma blinked a few times, thinking about her words, then shook her head and began drifting forward silently.

Nabiki remained silent for a long moment, looking at Ranma oddly. After a time, she asked, "What ... did you used to live for?"

Ranma shrugged, lowering herself to the ground and setting Nabiki down gently. "Dunno, really," she said, as Ran-oh-ki bounced up and rested on her head. She patted the creature softly once, then frowned, considering. "I guess ... just getting better at martial arts. I wanted to be the best, you know? And now ... I guess I just have to stand by what Pops always said. 'It is a martial artist's duty to protect the weak!'" She shook her head, glancing towards the Tendo home at the end of the street, and gestured. "Anyway. Doesn't matter now. So let's go in and say hello, or whatever."

Nabiki nodded, looking at Ranma with deep consideration etched in her features. After a moment she sighed and strode down the street to the house, Ranma trailing her.

XXX

"We're home!"

Kasumi sighed wearily, padding from the kitchen towards the front door. She paused for a moment, listening for sounds from the side yard, then shook her head. She was nervous and distracting herself. Smoothing her expression and running her hands across her apron to smooth it as well, she answered the door.

And there was Ranma, the strange animal perched on her head and blinking at Kasumi warily with its wide, aware, golden-amber eyes... They were similar to Ranma's, she realized, were they blue. Nabiki stood slightly behind Ranma and to the side, leaning over subtly to study her reaction to seeing Kasumi again. Ranma nodded at Kasumi, blinking once and causing the housekeeper to force down a shiver. "Hello, Ranma..." she trailed off, struggling and wondering if a 'san' was warranted. Or perhaps... But the moment was lost, and Ranma seemed pleased to hear it as just her name. "How have you been?"

She shrugged, looking around as though expecting someone to jump out and accost her at any moment. "'Bout as well as you can expect, considering everything that's happened. How is everyone here holdin' up?"

Kasumi stepped to one side, gesturing Ranma inside. No sense treating Ranma like a stranger ... she _was_ clothed practically indecently in the skintight bodysuit, and her eyes had changed ... but she was the same person. "Oh, we're not holding up too badly, Ranma. Are you hungry at all?"

Ranma nodded quickly. "Very."

"Would you like some hot water?"

The redhead shook her head, following Kasumi as she led him to the table. "No. Don't need it right now. I have to eat before I can change back."

Kasumi shook her head, suppressing a giggle. "Ranma ... you look very well, even with what you've done to your hair. You haven't changed at all, have you?"

Her eyes flashed momentarily as she served herself a bowl of rice, but she shrugged. "I guess not. Where are Ryouga and Mousse? And ... Mom?"

Kasumi sobered, sighing. It had been only an hour or two since Ranma's father had... "Auntie is lying down at the moment. She had a bit of a shock earlier today."

Ranma said nothing, eating glumly for a long moment. "Oh," she said after a second bowl of rice had disappeared. "I guess I understand."

"I can fetch her, if you'd like..." Kasumi began, wondering how the household dynamic would change with Ranma's reintroduction to the scene. Then, too, she had heard rumors that they were going to be forced to abandon their home and flee to the ocean.

Ranma set down her bowl and chopsticks, seeming to struggle for a long moment. "Nah ... that-"

"Won't be necessary, Kasumi-chan," Nodoka's voice interrupted Ranma. Ranma was on her feet in an instant, a certain vulnerable light shining in her eyes as she looked upon her mother.

"Mom?" she breathed worriedly.

Nodoka stiffened at hearing Ranma address her so and shook her head slowly. "You are not Ranma. You are not my son," she declared.

Ranma opened her mouth, seeming to choke on something, then straightened herself, one hand plucking the creature perched on her head and tucking it into the crook of her arm. She shimmered slightly, then seemed to _shift_ suddenly, as though hot water had been poured on her. Him, Kasumi corrected herself, since he was male again, the bodysuit with the single blaze of blue around one arm seeming to shift with him. "Mom," he stated, more confidently. "I am Saotome Ranma. I ... have a curse that makes me change-" He cut himself off, waiting for her to react. Nodoka reached forward slowly, one hand trembling, unsure, and slowly drew it back.

"No!" she hissed, swinging it around and slapping Ranma across the face with all her might. Ranma barely seemed to flinch from the physical blow, but was left stunned, only able to stare in abject shock. "My son is a _man_! He left this planet with his fiancee!" She glared, putting one hand on the handle of the katana she carried with her ritualistically and drawing it with a trembling grip. "And most importantly," she yelled, pointing the sword at Ranma, mere inches from his throat, "*you* are not my son!"

Ranma was only able to stare, the point of the blade slowly drawing closer as he was unable to find the words for the situation. Nodoka stepped forward, raising the sword over her head threateningly. Ranma took a deep breath, steeling himself, awaiting whatever would happen next.

Kasumi shook, trembling with worry and sympathy for the horrible hurt Nodoka was carelessly inflicting upon her only child. She opened her mouth to cry a warning to Ranma, as the blade began to descend and Ranma unleashed a single, bitter bark of laughter. Her eyes clenched shut, not able to bear watching the inevitable while she belatedly noticed Nabiki's arms around her, comforting. And then there was horridly loud 'snap' noise, followed by a metallic clatter.

For a long moment, there was silence, and Kasumi heard a low, almost sobbing sound. Finding the courage to open her eyes again, she hesitantly looked upon the scene.

Ranma stood, unharmed, shaking his head sadly while Nodoka stared at the handle of the katana in shock, and...

On the floor, Ranma's little pet glared at Nodoka balefully, angrily chewing - and eating - the Saotome family blade. Ranma slowly began to chuckle, quietly at first, and then more loudly, a pair of tears trickling from his eyes slowly. Only a pair, but tears none-the-less, and Ranma laughed, a hollow, bitter noise.

After a moment, he quieted, shaking his head. "No, Washuu," he mumbled to no one in particular. "Everything's just fine. I thought my mother was here, but I was mistaken. Ran-oh-ki!" he snapped, as the creature picked up the remaining length of unconsumed blade in its mouth, still glaring at Nodoka spitefully. "Let's get out of here." And with that, he marched towards the door, turning his back on the woman.

"W...wait!" Nabiki cried out, chasing after Ranma.

He paused, turning to look at her. "Yes, Nabiki?"

Nabiki seemed to struggle, then blinked, shaking her head. "I'm sorry... I'm very sorry, Ranma. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I ... I didn't know..." she trailed off, not finding the words she wanted. "I'm sorry," she concluded lamely.

Ranma shrugged, patting the creature on his shoulder absently as it finished eating what was left of the Saotome honor blade. "Doesn't matter to me anymore. I have something to do, though. I'll do my best to make sure everyone's safe. I..." He looked distant for a moment, then shrugged. "I gotta get back to Washuu. Ran-oh-ki thinks he hears something."

Nabiki bit her lip, turning to look at Kasumi as Ranma strode away, tossing back, "Thanks for the meal, Kasumi."

Kasumi bowed her head, shaking the tears from her eyes. "Everything," she whimpered, "everything is going so wrong! Poor Ranma-kun."

XXX

Ryouga paced nervously, occasionally turning back to check that he hadn't wandered too far, though Checkers would call him back if he began to stray. He sighed, turning towards the house again. "Mousse?" he asked curiously.

The Chinese boy looked up, blinking as he cleaned his glasses. "Yeah?"

"Um ... how are we going to apologize to Ranma? I mean ... we really made a mistake there, you know?"

Mousse blinked repeatedly, then nodded, donning his glasses again. "Ranma ... made the right choice, I think. He saved ... he saved all of them and left himself behind. That's respectable. I would rather that Shampoo be safe among the stars than ... here," he said distastefully.

Ryouga considered that, and nodded. "That's true. But how are we going to apologize to him?"

Mouse scratched his head, shrugging uncertainly. "I ... don't know. Just tell him we're sorry, I guess." At Ryouga's blank stare, he amended, "Unless you have a better idea."

The Lost Boy considered that for a silent minute, a dry breeze rustling down the street. He didn't have one. "Okay, we'll just have to tell him we're sorry."

Mousse nodded, turning towards the house. "You think he noticed us before he entered?"

Ryouga opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again when Ranma strode out of the house, face set and grim. His features darkened when his eyes settled on the two other martial artists, and he crossed his arms over his chest, remaining silent, standing still and waiting for one of the others to speak first.

Mousse found his voice first. "Saotome-san-"

"You must be thinking of someone else," Ranma said snidely. "I'm not Saotome. Just Ranma. Just ... Ranma." He stared at his feet for a moment, then rubbed at one ear, where a sky blue gem hung. Ryouga had to wonder at that. Ranma had never taken to jewelry before.

"Ranma... We ... wanted to apologize for our mistake," Ryouga mumbled. "We, uh, didn't really think about things, and we hope you can, you know, forgive us for what we did wrong." He managed to stifle a laugh. Him, of all people, apologizing to _Ranma_!

Mousse nodded slowly, seeming much less galled than Ryouga himself felt. "And we really _are_ sorry, too. You did a noble thing," he added.

Ryouga snorted, shaking his head. "I bet those girls are calling you an idiot right now, but ... you managed something we didn't expect. And they're going to be safe, which we can't say for everyone else. So ... um ... thank you." He shuddered slightly, a feeling of relief passing through him. That was it, he thought to himself. He had to admit that this once, Ranma was in the right.

Ranma stared at the two for a long moment, his eyes ... his odd, inhuman eyes ... seeming distant. He snapped them onto Ryouga suddenly. "Yes, Washuu. I'm on my way." He shook his head, looking away again. "Doesn't matter now, Ryouga. Looks like help came through. I'm staying, but some of you are going to be getting a ticket away, to safety." He shrugged, not even leaping, simply drifting upwards ... and away.

Mousse stared after him, minutes passing before he found his voice. "He's got a chance to leave again, and he's staying behind?"

Ryouga frowned. "Is that what he was talking about? If... If he's staying, then I am too. I want to help make sure that Ranma's okay. I ... owe him, I think."

Mousse nodded slowly. "As do we all. I'll help also." He hesitated a moment, before nodding and looking eastward. "We should tell Cologne that he's back."

XXX

Ranma flew through the skies, looking down at the city spread beneath him, and further south all the way to the harbor, his view partially obscured by the masses of gleaming metal and glass that were the Tokyo skyscrapers. Only on the fringes were there the lines of destruction and ravaged property where a reaver had made inroads, only to wander out of the city again. To the northeast he saw small objects, barely visible even with his trained eyes and whatever enhancements his new form had given them, swarming around a pair of black specks that he guessed were reavers.

The defensive grid, he remembered. The reavers were too distracted by the things to destroy anything else or hunt any humans... Which was probably just as well. He debated briefly rushing them, but held off, instead heeding Washuu's request that he return and Ran-oh-ki's insistence that 'something' was coming.

He landed before the building, 'Central Defense East', according to the hastily painted sign. Keitaro had given up on the papers for the moment and was leaning against the table, idly munching on a watermelon. He didn't look up to Ranma until the boy landed near him, and then he simply blinked, frowning. "You're with Defense?"

Ranma nodded, looking around. "Long story. Washuu?"

The redhead came out of the central building a moment later, flashing a smile at the half-Masu boy. "Ranma! We have some good news."

Ranma scratched his head while Keitaro glanced between the two of them. The bespectacled boy pointed at Ranma, surprised. "You mean ... you're..." He fell silent, considering, then shook his head, turning away.

Washuu coughed delicately, her smile filled with self-assurance. "We've managed to increase the reaction time of the decoys. We're not sure how long the defensive screen will hold now, but with us here, another 8 hours or more seems like a safe bet."

Keitaro brightened somewhat, grabbing for his radio. "Why didn't you say so? I need to relay that to Seta-san - there's no way we could manage with just six hours, and this could help prevent a major panic."

Washuu nodded, not taking her eyes off of Ranma. Ranma shook himself suddenly, patting Ran-oh-ki. "The rat thinks something's coming, though," he said.

The scientist's eyebrows rose slightly and she snapped her fingers. "Excellent!" she crowed. "Just the bit of luck we needed. That will be the first wave of rescue ships. We need to get in touch with them and find out how much of a capacity they have. Hmmm..." She paused, frowning sharply, then nodded. "Ranma, I'm going to try and get into touch with them. I just wanted..." she trailed off, her smile fading. "Are you okay?"

Keitaro glanced over from his radio. "Is something wrong ... Saotome-san?" he asked, guessing at Ranma's identity.

The boy flinched slightly, shaking his head. "Not anymore. Just Ranma. Tell Seta that, too. I don't want to have to tell everyone my name." He rose slightly, Ran-oh-ki perched on his head as he hovered above the ground and sighed. "Washuu, I'm going to see if they need help anywhere, like Yosho is doing."

After listening to the radio crackle, Keitaro piped up, "Ah ... Ranma-san, if you're going to help, you should take a radio with you to keep in touch with Defense."

Washuu shot Keitaro an annoyed stare, then beckoned Ranma close, leaning forward so their faces were near, while her hands seemed to fiddle with the jewel near Ranma's ear. "Here we go... Ranma, you should be able to pick up radio signals with this, now. You can send if you touch it with one hand. I'll be able to hear you like always..." she trailed off, staring into his eyes, then shook her head, backing away. "Um... I'll help here. Be safe, Ranma."

He nodded, trying not to think about the closeness too much, and touched the jewel. "This is Ranma; I'm new to this whole thing. Tell me where we need help."

A burst of static sounded, muted by some mechanism of the stone, and a voice followed. "Ah ... okay, Ranma-san, we've got noises of incoming north of Toda, but that's a bit out there. What is your present position, over?"

Ran-oh-ki made a plaintive sound as Ranma began to rise, and he responded, "I'm at Central Defense East. I guess I can probably be there in a minute or two." After a moment of silence, Ran-oh-ki leapt to Ranma's shoulder and batted at his ear, reprimanding him. "Uh ... over."

The voice responded. "Roger that, Ranma-san. Give us any updates as necessary, over."

XXX

Tsunami stood on the deck of the largest of the ships in the initial rescue wave outside of the Throne itself. She did not approve of Azusa's opinion on the matter, and the young Captain, Yohito, seemed more amiable to her. The tingling rush of the Throne's Gate often caused dizziness and nausea in non-treebound Juraians, but Tsunami was more than simply treebound, and barely even noticed it.

Directly before her, above the command deck, a huge viewport allowed her to see the Earth in its entirety, a sparking jewel of life, of hope... And one that betrayed no clue of the creatures that ravaged the planet's surface. The Captain of the vessel stood nervously at one edge of the wooden platform that composed the command deck. " Ah," he said after a moment, "Saryu-oh says that we can monitor-"

Tsunami cut him off smoothly, giving him a placating smile. "Do not worry, Captain. I can hear Saryu-oh, as well. He tells me that he senses the reavers, and he is scared. He also knows your determination to help, and is proud of it, so will not waver."

The Captain stared, flabbergasted for a long moment before nodding slightly. "It is ... as they say it, Tsunami-sama. You are the voice of Jurai." He swept a low bow to her, awe etched on his face while she hid a grimace of irritation. Bad enough the man was scared of her. Why could no one ever simply be comfortable around her?

"Are we ready to go to the planet? Every second is precious."

Nodding, the Captain gestured, and the ship lurched forward, nineteen other ships in formation about it as it descended. "We are receiving a transmission." Tsunami turned to look behind her, where Tenchi was standing stiffly, uncomfortable in the overly formal robes that Ayeka had picked for him. The Juraian princess and Ryouko each stood behind him, one to each side. Ryo-oh-ki sat near the boy's feet, bright eyes gone dim with boredom.

Seeming to snap to his senses and realizing that the Captain was addressing him, Tenchi cleared his throat. "Ah, what's the message?"

The Captain made a gesture and a screen flared to life, near the massive projection of the Earth itself. A familiar face, blinking curiously and surrounded by chaotic swirls of red hair appeared, giving way to a wide grin as she saw everyone in her own screen. "Ah! Tsunami-chan, Tenchi-dono, it's good to see you!"

Tenchi stepped forward, his features relaxing somewhat as some of the tension drained from his face. "Washuu-chan!" he said, eyes shining bright with hope. "We've brought some reinforcements, and we don't have much time. We should be able to grab about twenty million people and bring them to safety. The Juraian government has set aside a smaller colony, not too far from Jurai itself, for the refugees. Is everyone okay?"

Washuu sobered somewhat, drawing back from the screen a short distance and looking over her shoulder. "Ah," she said slowly, "your grandfather is well, but..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "We're in fairly dire straits."

Tenchi seemed to catch the lack of reference to his own father and stiffened. "Oh," he said quietly. Sighing, he did not even seem to notice as his hand sought out Ryouko's.

The Captain interjected suddenly, frowning, "This transmission is being traced."

Washuu waved a hand dismissively, shaking her head. "Don't worry about that; it's just Ranma."

Tsunami smiled softly, but bit her tongue, deciding that there would be time enough to ask after him later. He was active, though, and Washuu seemed unconcerned. Most likely he was just fine.

Tenchi nodded slowly. "Well, we need to coordinate the effort to evacuate. Let's get to work."

XXX

Ranma shook his head, sparing a moment to glance upwards to the ships from the transmissions that he could hear faintly, buzzing from the jewel on his ear. "Well," he said softly, hearing Washuu speak with someone else. Tsunami was there also, that much had registered, but...

He cleared his mind, instead focusing on the distortions that Ran-oh-ki was picking up. Reavers, he knew, though the creature's whiskers were trembling, and it sniffed as though it could smell them. He could tell when Ran-oh-ki sensed them, though, and feel them himself as he drew closer.

A lone reaver, chasing after a pair of cars. Ranma snorted, diving towards the reaver and wishing the drivers of the cars the best of luck. The reaver sensed his approach, rolling to one side as he prepared to strike, its legs spinning about and promising swift death should he get too near. Ranma rolled through the air, plowing into the earth to dodge, and Ran-oh-ki tumbled free.

His partner darted away to chase after the cars, clearing the battlefield for Ranma and checking to make sure that the vehicle's passengers were safe. The boy shrugged, pulling himself out of the ground and eyeing the reaver balefully. It looked just like any of the others he had faced, fearsome and dangerous. It skittered away, leaving some space between itself and Ranma as though it was considering its next action.

Ranma summoned his blades effortlessly. It wasn't even a challenge, he thought, the more that he did it. Surviving intact, however... He hadn't managed to destroy a single one without cost to himself, yet. The things learned _damnably_ fast, though, and the last had hurt him badly even with Yosho's help. That meant that Ranma was going to have to use a different tactic against this one from before. But what?

"Hmm," he mumbled, shifting from stance to stance, finally drifting upwards and out of the thing's range to consider. Incredibly, the reaver began to edge away, slowly at first, then breaking into an all-out run, abandoning the field and ignoring Ranma. "Uh," he managed, staring at it as it receded. He didn't know what had made it run, but he didn't like seeing it.

Shivering, he asked, "Washuu? What could make these things run away? I thought it was going to fight, but it just ... ran off..." Ran-oh-ki drifted back to Ranma, breaking his pursuit of the cars and making a curious noise. He grabbed the creature out of the air, setting it on his shoulder thoughtfully.

"...yes, Tenchi-dono. That would be for the best. What was that, Ranma?" He repeated the question, watching the reaver disappear over a hill and fade from his senses. "It ran away?" she asked worriedly. "Maybe they're smarter than we thought. Ranma, be careful, and don't leave the city. The Juraian fleet is descending now - there's not enough room for everyone, but we can evacuate the people here." She was silent for a long moment, then added, "If... If you want to leave, and find your fiancees..."

He sighed, shaking his head. "No, Washuu. I'm not abandoning this planet until everyone else is safe. I think Yosho feels the same way, too."

XXX

Tenchi frowned, his arms crossed across his chest while 'Ranma' distracted Washuu, whoever he was. The scientist seemed saddened by something he said, though she didn't let it show in her voice.

The boy tried not to eavesdrop, as the ships drew closer to Earth. It would take less than an hour to reach the planet, though the Throne remained where it had jumped, in the shadow of the moon. Tenchi tried not to think about that. Twenty million people wasn't enough, but it was a step in the right direction. All he needed to do was bring his grandfather back.

"...Yosho feels the same way."

He blinked at that, as Washuu frowned at something Tenchi couldn't quite see. "You may be right, Ranma," she said. "The evacuation will begin soon. I have a suspicion that the reavers are up to something. I'm going to see if I can get something more efficient to monitor them. In the meantime, I have to help Tenchi-dono finish planning."

Ranma's voice came through the connection, though there was no visual. "Oh. Right. Tell him I said thanks for the clothes."

Washuu shook her head, turning back to Tenchi and smiling apologetically. "Sorry about the interruption, Tenchi-dono."

Tenchi shrugged, trying to ignore the nagging question about 'Yosho', and the more present ones about Ranma. "Um ... right. Now..."

XXX

Ranma scanned the area about him idly, passing over an abandoned apartment building on the northern edge of the city. The general populous, he had learned, had migrated towards the heart of the city, leaving the extremities as a sort of 'buffer' zone that the reavers could raze with minimal loss of life.

Largely abandoned, he thought, as Ran-oh-ki sensed something. "It's an animal," Ranma muttered, receiving the creature's impressions in his mind like an extension of his own senses. "Probably a big rat, or something." Ran-oh-ki stomped a foot on Ranma's head irritably and the boy sighed, lowering himself to investigate the building he had just passed over.

Ranma grumbled, drifting down through the ceiling. It was odd, he decided, actually being able to simply ... pass through solid things. The way it had became nearly second nature sometimes unnerved him, reminding him of what he'd lost.

He froze for a moment on one of the upper floors from the ground, surrounded by an abandoned home. A home he would never fit in, he realized. There was a pile of toys in the corner, a television, a stack of musical records ... a photograph of a man and his wife.

He reached for it tentatively, tracing a line across the picture. He was a very tall man, and she very short, dressed in the traditional clothing for their wedding, both smiling at the camera, a slight hint of redness in their eyes. He blinked, setting the picture down and moving to the next room. Some clothing, abandoned, escaped from hasty packing, some other mementos and more pictures.

The man, dressed in a business suit, smiling awkwardly and holding a child in his arms. Ranma set that photograph back down, allowing it to remain, and frowned. Things he could probably never have ... even if he could find the girls. Would they accept him as he was? No longer entirely human?

He shook his head, trying to dismiss the scene, and walked out of the house, latching the door behind him. Ran-oh-ki remained quiet, understanding his feelings as he rested one hand on the banister momentarily and sighed deeply. No, he decided. He'd never been normal anyway; all that this had done was make it more obvious. Nodding to himself, he vaulted over the railing, staring down some seven stories and gliding slowly to the bottom.

"Lower," he muttered, sensing something through Ran-oh-ki. Much larger than a small animal. He shook his head worriedly at that as Ran-oh-ki focused his attention outward. "What... You think there's a kid around here, or something?"

Ranma shook his head, sinking through the floor, not sure where the basement entrance was. He blinked, allowing his eyes a few moments to adjust to the dimmer light that filtered in through the darkened windows. In the corner...

He straightened up from his stance, hearing a faint, rasping breath coming from a corner. "Hello?" he called softly.

A voice weakly reached him, frightened and small: "Don't eat me!"

Ranma blinked, slowly edging closer. "A kid?" he murmured, genuinely surprised despite the fact that Ran-oh-ki had sensed it. "Hey, I'm not going to eat anyone. What are you doing here?" He drew towards the corner that the voice emanated from, slipping around a tall stack of boxes. Cowering beneath a ragged blanket, he could make out the form of a small child, and nearby, a box of surplus rations and a small collection of bottles of water. "Woah..." he murmured. "You okay?"

The child - a little girl, he guessed - slowly peeked out from beneath her blanket, her large eyes blinking at him in fright. "Are you one of the monsters?" she asked.

Ranma blinked, scowling slightly. "Yeah, but I'm a good monster. I'm here to take you some place safe. Where are your parents?"

The girl bit her lip worriedly. "Daddy is a policeman, and Mommy said she was going to get Gramma. She said to wait here where it was safe until she came home." She shivered weakly, though Ranma wasn't certain if it was from fright or something else. "Mommy... Mommy and Daddy never came back."

Ranma tried to keep the anger out of his eyes - he didn't want to scare the poor girl. "Okay. How long ago was that?"

She shook her head, not knowing, and Ranma glanced towards the pile of discarded ration wrappers. He knew enough English to make out the letter 'k', but the rest of the meaning eluded him. Seven packets. Which could mean anything, since the girl was thin to the point of starvation, in Ranma's eyes. "So ... a few days, you think?"

The girl nodded, drawing her blanket up to her chin. "Okay," he said, setting Ran-oh-ki on the ground between them. "This is my partner. His name is Ran-oh-ki, and my name is Ranma. Now, can you tell me your name?"

"Nonoko," she stated confidently. "My name is Nonoko."

Ranma grinned as Ran-oh-ki hopped towards the girl and she tentatively patted him on the head. "Okay, Nonoko, I'm going to talk to some other people for a few minutes. Can you keep Ran-oh-ki company while I do that?" The girl nodded enthusiastically, and Ranma stepped back slightly, touching the gem on his ear. "This is Ranma, I've found a girl out here, near Toda. Uh ... where can I take her to be safe?" He belatedly remembered the protocol and hastily tacked on an, "Over."

The response came back shortly, "Uh ... this is Central. A survivor? Well, we're pretty much packed to the gills around here ourselves, and most of the people here are headed south. Um ... go ahead and take her to Nerima, we'll have ... team one pick her up, over."

Ranma grimaced, shaking his head. "Um ... anyplace else aside from Nerima? I can take her to the harbor, over."

There was a long silence before he heard a response. "If ... you really want to. It's up to you, but it'd be more efficient to drop her off in Nerima, over."

Ranma sighed, shaking his head and lowering his hand. "This sucks," he muttered quietly.

Washuu's voice broke off from her current conversation, and she addressed him. "Ranma? Don't worry about it. Go ahead and bring her here. We'll be able to evacuate her shortly, so it shouldn't be an issue."

Ranma sighed, unable to hide a grimace. Not that she could see it, he realized belatedly. He simply didn't want to return to Nerima yet... "Nonoko?" he asked, stepping towards the girl. She looked up expectantly, Ran-oh-ki sitting in her lap and being patted slowly. "We're going to have to leave - I'm going to take you to a friend of mine. She's a nice lady. Now, don't be scared, okay?"

She nodded slowly as Ranma picked her up, a warning flashing on the edge of his perception. He pressed the girl to himself and flew backwards as the wall behind the girl exploded in a sudden storm of masonry and earth. A mass of black claws followed, a reaver slowly backing out of the depression it had dug, then quickly running along the perimeter of the building and smashing everything. "Shit!" Ranma whispered as it disappeared, leaving him alone with the girl, and one entire wall of the basement simply torn out. "That's not good..."

The girl whimpered softly, not moving. Ran-oh-ki squeezed himself out from between Ranma and the child, scampering to Ranma's head, and sniffing the air cautiously. Given more warning, Ranma dashed away, crouching low as another wall was destroyed. "Oh..." he groaned, seeing what was going on. "The bugs are smart. They're trying to knock this building down on us!"

"Ranma? What's going on?" Washuu's voice was worried.

He edged towards the corner that was entirely knocked down, preparing to dash to freedom - then he saw it. The entire basement was lined with cement columns, and each one had claw marks on it, scores through the pillars that were nearly enough to sever them ... but not quite. He stared at the nearest column dumbly as another wall was demolished, and the building above them began to shake and groan violently. "They set a trap for us..." he breathed, crouching over the girl protectively, while Ran-oh-ki hissed at the last remaining wall.

"Ranma! What are you doing? Get out of there! Ranma!"

"Nonoko," he said, matter-of-factly, "this is probably not going to feel too good. Try and trust me, and hang on, okay?" She nodded, whimpering into his chest as the last wall began to explode away and the building above began to collapse. If only he could abandon the child, or phase through things _with_ her, he thought sadly, watching the ceiling descend, slowly at first, then more quickly.

"**Ranma**!"

XXX

Tenchi stared blankly as Washuu broke off her conversation again, to shout at someone else worriedly. Whoever this Ranma person was...

He snapped his head around as the ship suddenly lurched, everyone but the captain and Tsunami sent tumbling. Tsunami glanced back at him, and for a moment his heart nearly stopped. He had never seen the woman look so ... angry ... in all his life. It was only a small frown, and a slight furrowing of her brow, but it was enough to distract him even as he was sent sprawling.

The captain of the ship merely looked surprised, his stance automatically shifting to take the lurch into account as Tokyo began to fill their viewport. "Saryu-oh," Tsunami's voice rang out, each syllable clearly pronounced even then. One delicate hand rose, a slim finger pointing towards something Tenchi couldn't make out yet. "Fire at that target!"

A slow hum began to build from around them, a whir that rose, deepening in pitch until it passed beyond Tenchi's hearing range and merely made his jaw rattle. He jammed his tongue against his teeth to muffle the sensation and sat up to stare at Tsunami, confused.

The view changed, suddenly, the screen showing a targeting graph and a target, a point of blackness near a collapsing apartment building. A brilliant - nearly blinding - shaft of white-yellow fire emerged from some place behind the viewpoint and lanced through the spot of darkness, boiling it away and leaving a decimated crater that Tenchi guessed to be some 30 meters and more wide behind, thick, yellow smoke rolling off of it. A subsequent flash from the crater expanded, enveloping the entire block of hopefully abandoned buildings and reducing them to rubble before it faded.

The entire crew was only able to stare, stunned, as Tsunami schooled her expression, allowing the ship to return to formation with the others. "Thank you, Saryu-oh." She straightened her robes as though nothing had happened and nodded to Tenchi, still sprawled on the floor. "Washuu-chan?" she asked, turning to face the screen again, as Washuu flinched from an explosion in the distance. "Is Ranma-dono safe?" Tenchi blinked, seeing the raw worry in her eyes, if she hid it from the rest of her face.

XXX

Ranma groaned, not quite understanding how he had survived, but thankful for the small bubble of space that contained him and the girl beneath him. Ran-oh-ki made a soft noise, his eyes seeming to shine in the darkness. "Yeah," Ranma whispered. "This is really my day, isn't it?"

Nonoko shivered, still beneath him, and whimpered, "What happened?"

"Not sure. But we're alive, so now I have to get you out of here and someplace safe." The ceiling above them suddenly rattled, and Ranma screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself as he felt a tremendous force reverberating through the layers of smashed concrete and apartment building overhead, but not collapsing yet. He breathed out a sigh of relief at that, smiling weakly. It was dark, probably too dark for the girl to see, but he could make her form out below him, and Ran-oh-ki was peering around attentively.

Ranma frowned, as the sensation of 'reaver' passed from his mind, and Ran-oh-ki made a soft noise, confirming that it was gone. "Well," he said, frowning, "the monsters around us are gone for the moment. We're just stuck down here, now. Washuu? Can you hear me?"

Her voice seemed muffled, faint popping noises obscuring parts of her speech. "Ranma? Where are you? Are you okay? What's going on?"

Ranma grunted slightly, hearing the mass of concrete and twisted wreckage above him settle ominously. The rumbling stopped after a moment and he frowned worriedly. "I'm with Nonoko; we're trapped under a building. The reavers are smart, and they set a trap for someone. They knew how to knock this building down. Something hit nearby afterwards - I don't know what, but the reaver is gone."

The popping faded out, and Washuu's voice strengthened. "Well, Ranma, congratulations. You've just been fired on by the Juraian Home Fleet."

A voice sounded, faint and more distant, relayed through another communications device before it reached Washuu's. "Saryu-oh wishes you well, Ranma-dono. We are going to lock on your position and evacuate you. This will take but a moment."

Ranma blinked, his head slowly turning to look behind him at the darkened wreckage, a large and flattened piece of the ceiling above him, with a slowly lengthening crack forming. He blinked, watching the small crack creep along, passing from somewhere near his ankles and then upwards, towards his back. He turned to follow the crack with his eyes, studying how much space remained before the support ultimately split. "Um," he said, subconsciously pitching his voice low, "we have a problem here... I think I recognize your voice, Tsunami. Don't want to sound pushy, but, uh ... can you hurry, at all?"

Washuu made a thoughtful noise, while Tsunami spoke across the pair of links. "Yes, Ranma-dono. I will ask Saryu-oh to hurry."

The crack disappeared beyond the range of Ranma's vision, though he could dimly hear it, a low, grating sound. "Lovely," he muttered, patting Nonoko on the head softly and arching his back upward against the stone. He doubted he could hold it long, but he could _try_...

Ran-oh-ki remained silent, his whiskers twitching as he glanced between Nonoko and Ranma. The little girl stilled somewhat at Ranma's touch, though the occasional muffled whimper escaped yet. Sighing, he braced himself, placing his hands to either side of Nonoko and splaying his fingers widely against the cracked concrete floor.

He released a breath, trying to find a martial technique that fit for the occasion. Perhaps if he had had some of Ryouga's endurance, or the Lost Boy's raw strength... But his own style was suited more towards evasion and dodging. A sudden and sharp breaking noise sounded, and the pressure against Ranma's back slowly increased, causing him to grunt as he tried to resist the crushing force. "Ugh ... collapsing..." he gasped out before directing all of his strength to resisting the oppressive stone as it pressed against him.

"Ranma? Hang in there, okay?" Washuu's voice sounded calm and controlled, but it was a thin veneer, and his ears detected fear beneath her exterior calm. He scowled, trying to escape the distraction as the force on his back increased from a slow pressure to a nearly unstoppable force.

His arms trembled with the resistance they were putting up, and the crumbling concrete beneath his hands slowly began to sink into the packed earth below. He groaned at the stresses, feeling his body about to give way to the massive pressures as the distance between him and Nonoko slowly lessened, and the girl whimpered worriedly.

A soft, nearly imperceptible glow sprang up around him, a faint tingling as his ears began to buzz, and his vision dim from the exertion. "Unnng..." he managed, his body finally giving way and forcing him to collapse.

XXX

Sipping his coffee, the captain of the U.S.S. Louisiana grimaced, detecting a faint hint of cream. He dismissed it for the moment, trying to savor what little time he had free from trying to locate a safe haven or plan to destroy the theoretically invulnerable enemies. He had heard that nuclear weapons had been effective, but not before the ragtag fleet had already put to sea.

Sighing, he took another sip from his coffee cup, glancing around at what was left of the fleet. To his left, the Maine, another nuclear submarine, much like his own Louisiana. To the right, the Chancellorsville and the Cowpens, though the bulk of the Kitty Hawk concealed them from his sight at the moment.

The pair of cruisers had little effect on the enemy, ultimately being reduced to massive passenger ships, crammed to their capacity with refugees. The Kitty Hawk itself was the largest surviving vessel in Tokyo, and likely all of Japan, though he knew of other carriers in Singapore and Australia. Tactically, they were worthless at the moment, much like the surviving navy in the Atlantic.

A lesser officer scurried to his side, breathing heavily and managing a hasty salute. "Captain!" he gasped, standing at attention.

Sighing, Captain Andrew Norris set his coffee cup down and turned to face the younger man. "At ease. What is it?"

The man held a note to him in a trembling hand and Norris took it, scanning over the flawless English before blinking and turning to look at the harbor. "Oh," he whispered, "shit."

Raising an eyebrow, the petty officer looked over his shoulder at the harbor, and saw the same sight that Norris had. People, lining every available surface, trying to remain calm and avoid shoving one another into the sea, packed tightly into as little space as they could fit. "I was also asked to relay this message to you, Sir. 'Congratulations, Commodore. Your new flagship awaits.' Captain Wellington was last seen in Washington, before we left port, so command has been passed to you."

The note slipped from Norris's fingers and he shook his head numbly. "They want to try and evacuate over ten million people?" He shook his head again. "God save us ... and what about our own refugees?" He glanced over for a moment at the Kitty-Hawk, its surface nearly completely covered with emergency structures and housing.

"God save us all," he whispered again. Ominously, the sky overhead began to darken, a number of gargantuan shapes descending from the heavens and threatening to blot out the heavens.

XXX

Tsunami's eyes softened instantly as Ranma materialized on the deck, almost collapsing atop the child he was protecting the moment he arrived. Ran-oh-ki wormed his way out from underneath and sniffed at the boy worriedly. "Ranma-dono?" Tsunami asked softly as he rolled to one side, gasping for breath.

"Building," he wheezed, "heavy..."

She smiled softly, crouching near him and the bright-eyed and frightened child, covered in tattered and dirty clothing. "Be well, little one. You are safe now." She turned her attention back to Ranma, momentarily ignoring the stares of those around her. "Ranma-dono?" she asked again, gently laying one hand on his chest. He stopped heaving for breath suddenly, simply lying still as she let a trickle of her power flow through him, restoring his lost strength.

"My back," he groaned, "hurts like you wouldn't believe. Where are we?"

Tsunami couldn't help but smile, despite everything she knew was going wrong. "We are aboard the Juraian dreadnought, Saryu-oh." She paused, feeling the ship's thoughts as it sent them to her. "Saryu-oh says thank you for saving me."

"Oh, uh ... well, tell Saryu-oh that I, uh, said anytime. And thanks for saving me."

Tsunami nodded, stepping back and to her feet as Ranma rose, shaking his head as though to clear it. "Washuu?" he asked, his eyes turning distant.

Washuu sighed, shaking her head from her vantage point on the main screen. "Ranma? I _did_ say to be careful, did I not?" Ranma frowned, looking at Nonoko as she warily scrambled to her feet and latched onto his leg.

"Yeah," he said, ruffling the girl's hair slightly. "But I think I made the right choice. Um... Thanks again for saving me, Tsunami, but, uh, I need to get back down there, in case..." he trailed off, seeing the mass of cratered rubble that remained of the city blocks above where he had found Nonoko. "What ... is that?" he asked worriedly.

Tsunami blushed slightly, coughing. "I was, ah, concerned for your welfare."

Ranma stared at Tsunami long and hard, then nodded slowly.

XXX

Tenchi nearly choked, hearing the other boy's whispered words even as Tsunami missed them, and Washuu shot Ranma an amused look. "I will _never_ understand women."

The boy glanced at him for a moment, and Tenchi found himself studying the newcomer - the one that seemed to so thoroughly distract both Tsunami and Washuu. He was slightly taller than Tenchi himself, and moved with a bizarrely natural grace, seeming more to float on his toes than stand.

Ryouko blinked, leaning forward to examine the boy, and her eyes widened slightly. Tenchi turned back to face Ranma as he shook his head and glanced at the screen. "Thanks again. Hopefully we'll have time to talk later, but right now I wanna help make sure there's no one else trapped like Nonoko was."

The boy nodded respectfully to Tsunami, and she gave him a deep bow, worry playing in her eyes, though swiftly hidden. "Be well, Ranma-dono."

He scowled at that, shaking his head. "Just Ranma, please. And I'll try. You take care of yourself, too." He offered a small smirk, then tensed himself, freeing his leg from the little girl's grip.

Tenchi opened his mouth to ask a question, but Ranma simply sank through the floor with Ryo-oh-ki, disappearing like yesterday's mist and causing Ryouko to gasp in surprise. Not Ryo-oh-ki, Tenchi noted, seeing Ryouko's partner bounce over to where Ranma and ... his own partner had sunk through the floor to sniff at it curiously.

Washuu coughed softly, whispering, "Ranma? Come back here, please." She turned her face back to the screen and smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that, Tenchi-dono. Now, as we were discussing..."

XXX

Ranma paid attention to Washuu's words half-heartedly, his eyes scanning through the massive rubble-filled crater as he drifted southward, back towards the scientist. His eyes picked out massive throngs of people much further south, a carpet of humanity pushing their way further, into the harbor.

He sighed, a pricking sensation on the back of his neck alerting him and making him stop, turning to glance behind him.

A woman floated some distance behind him, dressed in a loose fitting kimono with shortened sleeves, her arms crossed over her chest. He blinked, noting her eyes, amber, cat-like, and very faintly luminous. He frowned, seeing her hair, so like his own, only much longer. "Who are you?" he asked, wondering that he wasn't more surprised by the appearance of a woman who could fly, and the massive bulk of the Juraian ships in their loose formation above the harbor.

She frowned in return, drawing slightly closer before circling around him slowly, her eyes taking in his features as a wary, confused look marked her face. "I could ask you the same," she drawled, her eyes finally meeting his. "Where did you come from?"

Ranma gestured to the city below him. "Down there, somewhere. Been around a lot, but that's where I'm pretty much from. I'm Sa..." He trailed off, remembering, and cleared his throat. "My name is Ranma. Just Ranma."

She nodded, relaxing slightly. "Hakubi Ryouko. But you haven't answered my question... How did you learn to do that?"

Ranma shrugged, grimacing. "Washuu showed me. Why?" He flinched suddenly, noticing her ears and teeth. "I get it. You're ... part-Masu, like me, right?" He frowned, looking the woman over. She smirked, allowing him to stare, and practically preening under the attention until he nodded. "Wait... I'm going to turn like you... Turn more Masu."

Ryouko shrugged in return, relaxing somewhat. "Something like that," she admitted. "And parts of a whole lot of other things." She pointed towards Ranma, smirking. "I can see some of the signs in you. Why did Washuu choose you?"

Ranma grimaced, pulling the jewel near his ear away. Ryouko stiffened in response, one hand shooting to a red gem hanging from her own ear, but relaxed after Ranma paused to look at her. Ranma's eyes widened, seeing another red gem on her wrist. "I think I get it," he said slowly. "I just... I mean, don't worry. I just wanted to have a little privacy. Washuu and I use this to talk," he explained, staring at the gem in his fingers. He shook his head, sighing. "Anyway. Washuu did this to me because there wasn't a choice. I hate it ... but I owe her, and from what I understand, Tsunami. They both keep saving me... It's actually kinda embarrassing."

Ryouko shrugged. "Well, whatever. I was just curious." She frowned, a thought seeming to strike her. "How old are you?"

Ranma glanced at the city below him, noting a stray breeze slowly pushing both of them southward, towards the harbor. "Sixteen. Why? Is it important?"

She shook her head, glancing at Ran-oh-ki, now lazily perched on Ranma's head. "I suppose not. I'm just curious about meeting someone else ... like me."

With a wry grin, Ranma nodded. "I guess. It's nice to know I'm not alone, I just hope..." he trailed off, frowning. "I just wonder ... if I can be accepted like this. Mostly I worry that people think I'm some kinda monster. Heck, that little girl I saved... I _told_ her I was. 'One of the good ones'. Feh." He grimaced, shaking his head. "What... What's out there for people like us, anyway?"

Ryouko blinked, clearly taken aback by his words. "'Like us'? Heh. The universe is a large place. Trust me, just because you'll find a few narrow-minded purists of any race, there's always people willing to accept you. You just need to know where to look."

He shrugged, staring away moodily. "Maybe you can help me, then. You seem like you would know. What do you do when the people you want to accept you the way you are ... don't?"

Ryouko winced, visible even in Ranma's peripheral vision. In a sympathetic voice she said, "Well ... that's not always easy." She loosed a quiet, rueful laugh. "Persistence isn't always the best answer, I can tell you that much." She sighed, drifting forward to place a hand on Ranma's shoulder.

He turned slowly to face her, still deep within his thoughts. "Should I even bother trying to salvage my past?"

She shrugged, drifting away idly. "Can't really help you with your own heart's healing... All I know for sure is sometimes it's best to just let the past go."

He grimaced, placing the gem near his ear again. "Maybe you're right... Sorry if I bothered you. Anyway, I need to get back to Washuu. Maybe I'll see you later."

Ryouko nodded, drifting away and backwards towards Saryu-oh, waiting overhead. "I'll see you around," she commented, before streaking away and rising back through the ship.

Ranma sighed, picking up his pace and heading back towards Washuu. "Sorry," he said again, quietly. "Just wanted to talk."

Washuu sighed back, audible across the link, and he could almost hear the sad smile in her voice. "It's okay, Ranma. Your privacy is yours, and I can... Well, I respect that. "

Ranma shrugged, drifting down towards the building, Washuu visible beneath him, sitting on the steps and tapping at a computer while everyone else in Central Defense East shuffled themselves around, preparing to leave. Keitaro stood to one side, talking with a pair of similar young women in low voices.

Ranma glanced at them for a mere moment before turning back to Washuu, who smiled at him softly, before turning back to tapping at her computer. Curled up on the ground near Washuu, head in her lap, was a small girl, wearing a much looser version of what Suu had been wearing earlier. Ranma frowned, whispering, "Who's this?"

Washuu sighed, shaking her head and finishing what she was typing. "That is Koara-san. She needed a little rest." Ranma nodded, dimly recognizing the similarities in the younger girl. She was hardly the first girl he knew that could change her apparent age...

Glancing back at the house and momentarily ignoring the indistinct radio chatter from the gem, he asked, "So... what's the plan? Those ships are going to take everyone away?" Washuu stretched, making sure not to disturb the sleeping child, and the screen and panel before her vanished. Ranma blinked, then sat on the steps near Washuu.

Washuu frowned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "It would be nice if it were that easy. What we have right now in those ships is the ability to carry about twenty million people." Ranma nodded, scratching Ran-oh-ki's chin absently. "We have about twelve million people in Tokyo at the moment."

"I don't see the problem," Ranma drawled.

Washuu raised a finger, making a 'tsking' noise. "It's not that simple, Ranma. There are more people all over the world, still. It's hard to get an exact count, but from what we can tell, most of the American continents are ... deserted." Ranma flinched, and Washuu sighed again, looking up at the Juraian ships continuing their slow orbits around the harbor. "There are still countless other people left alive in Europe, the southern part of America, the rest of Asia..." she trailed off thoughtfully. "The truth of the matter is, this is only going to make a small dent in the number of people we need to save.

"I expect that when the Galaxy Police cruisers arrive, they'll be much more efficient about it - they have a greater capacity in general. But their forerunners are another two weeks away at best. The plan, then, is to get as many people onto ships to drift until they can be rescued. The reavers seem to have a slightly more difficult time tracking over water."

Ranma scowled, shaking his head. "No, they're smart, Washuu. They set a trap, maybe for me, maybe for someone else ... but they know how to, and they did. They're up to something, and I don't trust them. The one that ran away from me earlier probably has a plan, like they're all going to attack later or something."

Washuu grimaced, shaking her head. "That's true. That's true. We can use the ships to help us monitor while they're here. The real quandary is how to decide who to save." Ranma nodded, frowning as Washuu sighed again. "I'm staying," she said quietly. "I have to help Yosho, and..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

Ranma's eyes narrowed slightly and he cocked his head to one side. "Washuu?" She glanced towards him, her hand patting the sleeping Suu. "You didn't ... make them, did you?"

Washuu shuddered, shaking her head. "I hope not," she said quietly. "But it's been too long. I can't remember. I ... I don't know." She bit her lip, blinking away moistness in her eyes. "I never would want to be responsible for something like this. I hope it's not me. I don't know if I could stand that."

Ranma's frown lessened and he bit his lip, wondering how he could apologize for the accusation that had been in his voice. He didn't think she could have created something like the reavers. And there she was trying to comfort Suu, who was sleeping. But who to comfort her? He slid slightly closer to the woman, carefully putting an arm around her, and tried not to jump in surprise as Washuu clung to him, holding him tightly, only barely managing to avoid dislodging Suu. "I don't think you did," he said after a moment. "They seem to be designed to give you trouble, you know?"

She nodded slowly, not releasing him for a moment, and sighed. "Ranma... Thank you. Thank you for helping even after everything you've had to suffer through."

Ranma shrugged, preparing to dismiss the entire thing in his typical offhanded manner, when a pillar of light flashed through the skies, tracing a line in the distance to the northeast. A moment later a vast stream of explosions followed the traced line, though it took several seconds before the sound reached them. Washuu raised a hand towards it, still keeping one arm about Ranma, and a faint ... force ... seemed to impact against a barrier that surrounded them for a few heartbeats before Washuu dropped her hand. "What was that?" Ranma asked, slowly climbing to his feet.

Washuu released him reluctantly and shook her head, making the panels that composed her computer reappear from wherever she had dismissed them. "I'm not sure... It looks like one of the Juraian warships fired at something. Yohito-san?" she asked as a face appeared on the screen. "Can you tell me what that was?"

The man nodded, looking away for a moment and then back at the screen. "That was the Freya-oh; there seems to be a number of reavers headed towards the heart of the city. I'm afraid that the plan's going to have to be changed. The civilian fleet should be capable of bearing about five million people away, so we're going to start grabbing refugees from the reavers' line of advance."

"Where is Tenchi-dono?"

"Ah ... he is looking for his grandfather, Washuu-sama."

"Er ... just Washuu-chan. But what did that blast accomplish?"

Coloring slightly, Yohito tugged at his collar nervously, managing a weak laugh. "Um, I'm afraid that no reavers were destroyed, though they have gone to ground. Sensors track them going deeper and away, but more moving in. They're deeper than we can strike without damaging the planet to some degree."

"We shouldn't be using such powerful weapons against them, either. The Terran people wisely decided against using their own weaponry. What's the situation?"

Yohito straightened suddenly staring at a reading somewhere out of Washuu and Ranma's view of the screen. "We have a problem. A number of reavers are massing north and east of the city - at least twelve - and we're tracking two more beneath the bay. They're waiting for something, where we can't strike them."

"I told you they learned," Ranma whispered.

Washuu swallowed nervously. "We're going to need help, then, aren't we?"

Ranma shrugged, glancing at Yohito's image on the monitor briefly. "Where are we going to get it?"

A dry chuckle sounded, causing Ranma to shiver involuntarily as he recognized it. "Help, Muko-dono?" 


	5. Chapter 04

Process of Elimination - Chapter Four

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

Additional tinting provided by: TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A. (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku), Takashi Yabara, Viz, SNK (Fatal Fury). The easel is mine. That's all.

* * *

_ "Fear was constant. We ran in fear of monsters, protected by things that we never fully understood. Oh, sure, there are the more famous ones - everyone knows the Nerima crew. But even the ones who remained human still [...] inspired fear in us. They were stronger than the things we feared most. How could we **not** be afraid of them? The Juraians? They used weapons, tools [...] things like that. But [the defenders]? If it was magic, or skill, or the fact that some of them were machines inside, they scared us."_

- Ensign Bridges of the U.S.S. Cowpens, interview with G.N.N. 2006

XXX

Blinking, her arm protectively encircling Suu, Washuu eyed the newcomer in surprise. Suu stirred slightly, but remained asleep. Ranma, however, was on his feet in a heartbeat, tensed for battle, though he held his blades in reserve. "What do you want?" he asked mistrustfully.

The old woman before him cackled, shaking her head, "Calm yourself, Muko-dono. I heard from the other boys what you did. I'm impressed." She looked upwards, sighing, and waved her staff towards the ships overhead. "I've not seen anything like this in all my years. I haven't seen one of the 'monsters' myself yet, either ... but I hear that you've fought some of them from Mousse. Hmm. And the boys say that your father killed one, too..." she trailed off, frowning darkly. "But that's not the point."

Ranma nodded, relaxing slightly. "As long as you aren't here to fight me."

Washuu glanced at the old woman, remembering what Ranma had told her before they had left the Masaki home. "Is this the woman that taught you, Ranma?"

He nodded again, not looking away from the small figure. "Yeah. She taught me the soul of ice and the hiryuu-shouten-ha."

"Ah..." Washuu tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose you're here to offer to help, right?"

Cologne grinned broadly, sinking to a sitting position near the scientist. "Indeed. I'm much more skilled than that boy, after all."

"Hey!" Ranma protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "I beat you before."

She glanced at Ranma and hid a small smile. "No. You beat my shark, Ranma."

He settled for glowering at the older woman, saying nothing. Washuu raised an eyebrow. That was likely an interesting story; time for that later, though. "Well, it's nice of you to offer to help, but we'd need a whole _army_ to try and stave off the reavers."

Cologne chuckled dryly. "Ask, and ye shall receive."

Ranma blinked, reaching behind his head to tug at his pigtail and frowning when he remembered that it was no longer there. "Oh," he said softly, a light of realization shining in his eyes. "Washuu? How long would it take us to move everyone to China?"

Washuu blinked, her confusion rapidly growing. "What's in China?"

Cologne laughed again, this time more deeply. "My tribe, child, my whole tribe." She glanced at Ranma, smirking. "I doubt you have anything better to offer."

Ranma frowned, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "I might be able to... I know someone in China, too."

Cologne's laughter stopped abruptly, as she stared at Ranma, a frown creasing her features. "A risky proposition, if you're thinking what I suspect you are."

Washuu crossed her arms across her chest, finally having had enough of the pair. "Will you two stop speaking in riddles? If we're going to change the plan, I need to know the details."

XXX

Yosho eyed the cars as they rolled into the street ahead of him. The first was in fair condition, packed with a worried looking family, and the other was an aging and failing pickup truck that sputtered and ground to a halt a short distance away.

A man climbed out of the pickup, sighing. "I'm afraid she's done for," he said, a thick Kansai accent inflecting his speech.

Another man, tall and blond, nodded in return, hopping out of the truck. "It lasted long enough. Thanks."

Yosho's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Bogard-san," he called out, recognizing the tall man. "You came to Tokyo after all?"

Terry nodded, his features still set with the dead look he had worn before. "Maizuru didn't have any answers. Just another dead city." He sighed, shaking his head regretfully. "Nothing there to help with. I should have come here sooner." Terry grimaced, glancing back at the old man as he pulled a few possessions from his truck and plodded to the already crammed car to ask something of the driver. "Anyway. I'm here, so I might as well do what I can. Didn't think I'd meet you again, though."

With a slight shrug, Yosho gestured to the ships floating overhead. "Well, you came at the right time. There's the way out, if you want to be safe."

Terry shook his head again dourly. "Not really the answer I'm looking for. I don't care much about leaving, anymore. Just..." he trailed off wordlessly.

The radio that Yosho had been given crackled to life suddenly, before he could respond. "Okay, this is Defense, and this is probably the last announcement we're going to make. The 'reavers' are pulling back a ways; we think they might be preparing an attack of some kind later, but for now, everyone's moving to the docks for transportation. We urge everyone to be orderly in the evacuation, as the Juraian forces have everything under control."

Flicking the radio's volume down, the swordsman sighed, one hand fiddling with the 'imitation' key that Washuu had given him. He didn't really want to know how she had come up with it - the woman was eerily capable, and it worked much like the Tenchi-ken. Asking to know more would likely be asking for trouble. "So much for that. So what are you planning next?"

Terry frowned, watching the stopped car speed up haltingly, accelerating unsteadily down the still-empty street. The passengers waved to Terry, and he nodded at them before the vehicle disappeared from sight. "Dunno. Help out around here, I guess." He glanced at the sky. "But I don't know that there's much to help with, if they're gonna take everyone away."

Yosho rubbed at his chin thoughtfully, then shrugged, beckoning Terry to follow. "Well, let's meet up with Ranma and Washuu, Bogard-san. Perhaps we can discuss it with them."

XXX

Tenchi stalked forward, Ryouko drifting at one side, Ayeka scurrying along the other, and the Guardians trailing the whole group protectively. Ryo-oh-ki sighed tiredly from her position atop Kamidake while Tenchi scanned the largely deserted streets.

"He has to be around here," he muttered. "Those girls said that Washuu came here with two men, and one of them was Ranma. Jiji must be one of the others. Why is he calling himself Yosho, though?"

Ayeka coughed politely, offering, "Katsuhito is truly Yosho, Tenchi-dono. He's my older brother, and the, ah, heir to the throne."

Tenchi paused for a moment, glancing at Ayeka thoughtfully. "Wouldn't that mean that he was over seven hundred years old?"

Ayeka nodded, while Ryouko snickered, "Just like Ayeka." The princess colored angrily, but said nothing at the insult.

Tenchi frowned, scratching his head. "Well, he should be around here somewhere, anyway." He sighed, peering around again. "I wish we had a way to track him," he muttered. "I'd like to get him back to Jurai so we can get things moving."

Ryouko smirked, drifting upwards, passing near enough to Tenchi to allow one hand to trail across his cheek as she rose. "I'll look around."

Tenchi nodded, coloring not nearly as much at her touch as he once had. Ayeka frowned at that, but still kept her thoughts to herself. She glided to Tenchi's side while he glanced upwards, noting that Saryu-oh was still trailing them in the sky.

Grimacing, he rubbed at the trefoil mark on his face again. "I hope we find him soon..." he trailed off, seeing a pair of unfamiliar men walk across the street chatting in low tones, while Ryouko drifted to the pavement near Tenchi, her face pale and drawn. Ayeka was merely able to stare, her mouth falling open in shock, while the Guardians behind her made quiet noises of surprise.

Tenchi blinked, as the shorter of the two men stopped in his tracks, staring at Tenchi in shock. Tenchi frowned, mumbling, "What the heck is going on here?" The shorter man approached slowly, nodding at Ayeka and Ryouko.

"Tenchi?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah?" Tenchi managed, still horribly confused by the entire ordeal. "Who are you?"

The young man frowned for a moment, then sighed, raising his hand and mumbling slightly. A slowly shimmering field of gray suffused into being around his figure, causing Tenchi and the girls to step back in alarm while the blond man simply raised an eyebrow. The field snapped into the man's skin, revealing ... "Jiji?" 'Katsuhito' nodded, and Tenchi frowned sharply, a vague pain at the deception unsettling him. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

Yosho looked uncomfortably, and hedged evasively, "I wanted to let my descendants live a life away from the pressures of the court." He shook his head suddenly, straightening. "What are you doing here, Tenchi? You should be somewhere safe - not here."

Tenchi shook his head dismissively. "_My_ safety is not important. I'm here to find you."

Eyes narrowing, Yosho clasped his hands together behind his back. It was a gesture Tenchi knew too well, one that made him wonder what his grandfather was planning. "And what are you going to do now that you've found me?"

Tenchi shrugged, gesturing to the ship overhead. "We've come to take you back. The Emperor..." He trailed off, noting Yosho's displeased expression.

Yosho shook his head defiantly. "I refuse to leave this planet, Tenchi. I'm afraid if I do, I'll give Father the impetus he needs to simply abandon it completely."

The boy stared, stunned. "But ... he said if you came back..." he fell silent, struggling for words. His eyes tracked briefly to the blond man, who steadfastly looked away, tugging his baseball cap lower as if to distance himself from the situation. Sighing, Tenchi returned his gaze to Yosho. "Ji... Yosho. You have to come back! If you don't-"

Barking harshly, Yosho overrode Tenchi, "No!" Collecting himself, he coughed, dropping his elderly guise and returning to what Tenchi belatedly realized was his true, much younger, self. "I cannot. And I refuse. There's no way you can make me leave until I've done everything within my power to save the people of this planet." He smirked, a smile that was not reflected in his eyes. "These are my mother's people, Tenchi, and yours, too. I'm not going to leave them alone to face this."

The boy's dismay increased, and he found himself struggling for words, no longer sure what to say. Ayeka had no subtle advice this time, and Ryouko seemed as much at a loss as he was. The guardians kept respectfully silent, and Ryo-oh-ki would likely be no help anyway... "So, you're just like the Emperor? You can help, but you refuse to?"

Yosho grimaced, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't like the way you say that. I _am_ helping. I'm doing everything I can. And ... I don't fully trust my father. He just wants to see me on the throne, and I, for one, will not play into his hands."

Tenchi was struck, suddenly, with the realization that for all of Yosho's years, all of his theoretical knowledge, and all of his training as a priest ... Yosho was an incredibly petty man. "I can't believe you!" he exclaimed, his outrage overriding his sense. "How can you be so pathetically self-absorbed, and just _throw_ away everyone's best chances at survival?" He bit his tongue, a secondary epiphany occurring. "Kami! You're almost _exactly_ like _your_ father!"

Face twisting into a grimace, the older man spat, "I am _nothing_ like my father, Tenchi. You're simply too young to understand yet."

Tenchi glowered at the old man, then steeled himself. "I really don't want to do this," he said slowly, "but if you're going to be so stubborn... I'm not going to let you stay here when you could do better for everyone back on Jurai." He stepped forward, reaching one hand to Yosho's shoulder. "Now come on, and stop being so childish!"

Flicking Tenchi's hand off of his shoulder, Yosho dropped his arms to his sides. "No," he said adamantly.

Tenchi fumed, dimly aware of Ayeka and Ryouko, both stunned speechless by the scene. "Jiji. You're coming back with me. I'm not going to let you stay here and let people get killed!"

Yosho shook his head defiantly. "You can not tell me what to do, Tenchi. I am going to stay here, and I'm going to fight."

Not even thinking about it, but surrendering to his rage, Tenchi lashed out, shoving the taller man. "Stop being such an idiot! Lives are at stake! Come _on_!"

Yosho staggered momentarily, shocked at Tenchi's blow. "No!" he roared, shoving Tenchi back. "I'll not speak of this further." With that Yosho turned his back on Tenchi, leaving the boy to fume at nothing.

"Jiji!" he yelled, charging forward again. "We're not done with this yet-"

The rest of his statement was cut off, the tall blond man finally getting involved, stepping in front of Tenchi and effortlessly laying the boy on the asphalt of the street with a single power-blow to the shoulder. The boy spun twice before he struck the ground, reeling, and barely heard, "Leave well enough alone, Kiddo. We don't have time for this garbage."

XXX

"Ranma-dono?" The voice on his com-link distracted him momentarily.

He chuckled slightly at that. "Tsunami, please, just Ranma." At least things were getting better to the point that he could manage a laugh at something. Cologne and Washuu watched Ranma with raised eyebrows, while he gestured towards the earring.

"Of course, Ranma. I'm worried about Tenchi-dono and Yosho-dono."

"Um ... okay. Is something wrong?" Ranma fidgeted, realizing that for the moment, the women could hear only his half of the conversation. He sighed, taking a step back from the mess of maps and charts that Cologne and Washuu had procured, shuffling numbers about and trying to discern where people would be taken.

Tsunami's voice held a thin note of worry, one that Ranma was barely able to pick out. "I believe that there's a problem, Ranma... Yosho-dono and Tenchi ... do not appear to be pleased with one another."

He sighed, rising slightly. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it, but okay. Where are they?" He glanced down at Washuu, who was watching him intently. "Um ... Washuu, I'll be back in a bit. Tsunami needs me to look at something."

Washuu leapt to her feet, dislodging the papers, some of which fell atop the still slumbering Suu. "Ranma!" she exclaimed, agitated. "Be careful this time! Please!" She paused for a moment, recomposing herself. "You can't afford to lose any more of yourself; you're already at a critical point..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "Just... Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

He nodded in understanding, flashing her a quick grin before rising into the air, guided by Tsunami's voice. "They are east of you, Ranma, some distance, but you should know the place when you see it."

"Okay," he mumbled, before something occurred to him. "Say, how are you using the communication thingie? I thought only Washuu could do that."

The answer that came back was somewhat hesitant. "I ... asked Saryu-oh for help, and I know the way your jewels work."

Ranma blinked at that, wondering if the normally stately woman had said the words he had thought he heard. "Um," he said after a moment, deciding it was merely wording, and nothing else, "you mean the stone in my wrist?"

"Of course. What else would I be referring to?"

Ranma blushed slightly, fervently glad that the woman couldn't see his face. Stupid, he told himself, of course she wouldn't-

He cut that line of thought short. "Uh ... the one on my ear is just like the one on my wrist?"

"I believe it is an imitation. It can be used temporarily, but will not work quite as well ... though you would do better to ask Washuu-chan."

"Right," he mumbled, looking at the stone in his wrist and wondering.

XXX

Tenchi was hurt. Not damaged, she knew, nothing that wouldn't heal easily. The man that had attacked her Tenchi had been somewhat careful. But not enough.

The boy slowly staggered to his feet, wiping at a trickle of blood from his lip. That was more than enough for her. Three months of wandering through a palace where no one would respect _her_, and now her _Tenchi_ wasn't being respected, even on his own home world? "Bastard!" she screamed, tensing herself and teleporting to the attacker's side.

Flinching in surprise, he stepped back, narrowly deflecting her punch. "Hey," he said, appearing calm despite the situation, "is that how it is? I don't want to hurt you."

She laughed at that, lashing out to land a brutal strike to the man's midsection, while his guard was down. He merely grunted, staggering back a step. "Shut up! You hurt my Tenchi!"

Snorting, he dodged past her next attack, a perfectly placed elbow strike slamming into the back of her neck as she slipped past him, sending her sprawling. Pulling herself to her feet, she eyed the man awaiting her in a loose, mobile stance, and spat out the dirt and gravel from her awkward landing. "Your call. Terry 'the Lone Wolf' Bogard. Your name?"

She snarled, summoning her energy blade to her. "Hakubi Ryouko."

The man edged back warily at the sight of the blade, taking a moment to focus himself. A lambent sheet of blue flame seemed to erupt from somewhere within the man, cloaking him in its glowing aura. "No more playing nice, eh?"

She nodded, springing to the defensive, dimly aware of the sounds of energy weapons colliding behind her. Well, Yosho would not hurt Tenchi, and Ayeka was there to help him. Aside from which, Ryo-oh-ki would warn her before anything could happen.

XXX

Yosho ducked a swipe from the Tenchi-ken negligently. "Slacker," he accused the boy in front of him. "What's been making you neglect your training so much?"

Tenchi grimaced, his next strikes being deflected with the same casual ease. "Weeks on end in a room trying to get help for the Earth," he spat. "Instead of playing around here and wasting time, so people could get killed!"

Yosho raised his shield arm, deflecting a strike that would have gotten through. "Hah," he snorted. "If you believed it, then you are a fool, Tenchi! I thought you were brought up to be smarter than that."

Tenchi stepped back warily, his eyes still on the blade that Yosho had not yet used for anything but his own defense. Ayeka stood in the distance, jaw agape and unable to interfere. A small pang of guilt struck at Yosho, needling him where Tenchi's attacks could not reach. The boy shook his head sullenly, sparing a brief glance towards Ryouko and her own battle. "Yosho, I'm going to save everyone on Earth, if I can help it. I need to bring you back to the Emperor to do it. I'm not going to lose."

The older man faked a laugh where he felt no humor. "Boy, you're being foolish. What good would it do? What if my father merely decides to abandon the planet, with me gone? You _know_ the council is _more_ than frightened of the reavers as it is!"

Tenchi shook his head, hope and betrayal warring in his eyes. "Jiji... I can't. I can't stop now. I have to bring you back."

XXX

Terry arched his body to one side, narrowly avoiding the blade of destruction as it smashed through the storefront behind him. "Hey," he yelled, "you crazy-chick! Pay more attention!"

She snarled at him, her eyes shining in a feral manner as her temper rose. "Shut _up_!"

He snorted, bounding over her next slash easily, and lashing out with his foot to tag her shoulder. "Careless. You're going to get innocent people hurt. No control. Pathetic."

Unleashing a primal screech of rage, Ryouko pursued the man's slowly retreating course into an alley. "No control? Watch _this_!" she exclaimed, teleporting briefly behind him to smash out the walls. She cackled to herself as she levitated out of his reach and the concrete structures slowly crumbled.

The man simply shrugged, bounding upwards on the falling chunks of stone and brick to land atop the devastated building and look down on her. "That the best that you can do?"

Scowling, Ryouko rose though the air to reclaim her position higher than Terry, and allowed her blade to dissipate, instead summoning a small globe of energy. She smirked, toying with it idly in one hand. "I'm just getting warmed up."

Terry's eyes widened as the small ball of energy was hurled downwards, smashing into the rooftop near him and exploding violently. He leapt away to the next building, his footing shaky as the first slowly collapsed in on itself, a muffled explosion and bright flash warning of a gas leak that had ignited. "I told you! You're completely careless about where you're fighting! Watch what you're doing!"

The woman scowled, and another ball of reddish light began to form in her hand. "I don't need to listen to you," she retorted.

Another voice broke the pair's concentration. "No, but you should listen to your mother, and she says you're being a spoiled brat." A newcomer landed near Terry, eyeing Ryouko warily. "Bogard-san," he remarked, only pausing to glance at the blond man, "it's been a while. I'll stay here; can you help Yosho for me?"

Grimacing, the man nodded, still sheathed in lambent blue flame, and leapt away, leaving the two alone. Ryouko let her energy dissipate and crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the remark about her mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Tsunami asked me to keep Yosho and Tenchi from killing each other." He paused for a moment, glancing towards something over one shoulder before admitting, "Well, not entirely. She had much prettier words. Anyway. I'm not in the mood to let you go around blowing up half the city and maybe some of our allies while you're at it."

Ryouko glowered at him. "And _I'm_ not in the mood to deal with someone who's not even a fraction of my age and thinks that he's as good as me."

He snorted, shaking his head. "'As good as you'?" he retorted. "I'm the _best_."

She growled, summoning another ball of energy. "Ha!" she cried, throwing a small blizzard of bright points towards him, each one exploding in a brilliant and deafening collision with the rooftop behind Ranma.

He perched loosely atop a weather vane, looking down at the pitted and ruined rooftop. "What the hell?" he muttered. "You can only break things. You can only destroy." Shaking his head, he floated a short distance above the iron rod. "Is that all you're good for?"

Ryouko smirked snidely, "It's what I was made for. What we were _both_ made for."

The boy stared, shocked, and clenched his fists at his side. "Eh?" His eyes dimmed, and he blinked. "I'm..." He shook his head. "You're saying that I'm only a weapon, aren't you?"

"What?" she asked, her smirk lessening. "Not quite what you were expecting?"

"Not really," he remarked, raising his eyes to meet hers. "But I don't really care. I mean ... so what if I'm a weapon? I still have ... people to protect."

Snorting, Ryouko lobbed another ball of energy at him, which he easily avoided. "That's all well and good, but you're still in my way."

Ranma shrugged dismissively, taking up an odd stance some distance from Ryouko. "Yeah? So what? I'm not going to let you hurt Yosho, or Terry, or anyone else I've lost my ... self ... trying to protect." So saying, he tensed himself, seeming to gather some force of his own before lobbing a globe of golden-yellow energy at her. "Mouko takabisha!"

She readied herself, raising her shield to deflect the blast, and slid backwards a short distance as it impacted. Shrugging it off, she glanced around, only to see that Ranma was gone. She spun, just in time to catch Ranma's heel drop along her shoulder, sending her hurtling to the street below.

Righting herself and rebounding off of the surface, she leapt upwards, bearing her energy blade. "What are you talking about?"

Ranma slipped out of range, lashing out at her again and striking her arm in passing. "Heh! Way I see it, I got a _choice_ in being a weapon or not, anyway. I don't have to break anything unless I _want_ to!" He grinned, slipping to the side of Ryouko's next attack.

"Maybe, maybe so." Ryouko laughed lightly, starting to enjoy the fight. "But you're a little to young to hope to fight _me_!" She teleported directly behind him before he could react, extending one hand towards him, palm outwards. "Too bad!" she finished in a singsong voice.

He started to turn, but not fast enough, and the resultant blast exploded brightly, sending him hurtling through the air and through the concrete wall of a previously undamaged and ancient building. Ryouko frowned, looking at the smoking crater where she had blasted the boy. "I wonder why he didn't shield against that," she mused.

XXX

Ranma rode the explosive wave of force against his spine into a nearby building, raising his arms defensively moments before he slammed into the stone-like surface and continued on. The barrier shattered, leaving his body bruised, broken, and burnt, to tumble to a halt in an abandoned apartment building.

He was barely even aware of the shift that took him to his smaller form, only noticing when he felt the obvious curves that spoke of the change.

Running a hand through her hair, she gathered herself and launched back into the battle. "This isn't over," she warned, catching the stunned Ryouko off guard and launching the larger woman hurtling to the ground with a two-armed hammer-strike. Stunned, Ryouko slammed into the asphalt, gasping in sudden pain in a newly formed crater.

Not giving her time to recover, Ranma dove, both blades extended for a lethal attack. "No more going _easy_ on you!" Ranma hissed.

Ryouko sank beneath the street, leaving Ranma to plow into it, creating a meters-wide crater lined in sharpened fragments of frozen and icy asphalt. "Oh-HO!" Ryouko exclaimed, reappearing above Ranma. "So who are _you_?"

Ranma snarled wordlessly, willing himself to shift back into his proper form. There was a moist ... tearing sensation from deep inside, as the change took place, but he ignored it, reassuming the form he wanted. "I'm the same damn person I've always been," he growled.

Rolling her eyes, the cyan-haired woman muttered, "How melodramatic." She threw a palm towards him, launching a barrage of the explosive points of light she had used earlier.

Ranma howled in pain as some of the multitude of sparkling motes struck him, rending his skin, tearing him open, but he refused to let go of his form. "Sao-" he cut himself off with a growl, ignoring the trickling blood from his wounds as his bodysuit seemed to regenerate around him, sealing them. "I don't lose, so don't think that this is over!"

Ryouko's eyes narrowed, and she summoned her own blade. "I don't want to have to hurt you," she warned.

"A little late for that," Ranma snarled, leaping to the attack. Ryouko deflected him casually, and he narrowly avoided another collision with a building, instead flipping upwards. He paused above her, trying to calm himself, as his blades slowly bled through from blue to red. "Soul of ice," he muttered. "Soul of ice."

The redness faded, leaving his weapons blue once more. Ryouko eyed Ranma speculatively, one arm loosely at her side, the other bearing her weapon. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Ranma bristled, but held his temper in check, trying to ignore the way he felt something ... changing ... inside him. Something sharp and painful. He pushed the feeling away, focusing on the present. "I'm not going to let you hurt my friends, I'll tell you that much."

Ryouko studied him for a moment, frowning, and nodded, allowing her blade to dissipate. "Fine," she said curtly. "I won't hurt your friends. Now what are you doing?"

Ranma laughed giddily, slowly sinking to the ruined street, unmindful of the ice-limed asphalt. "I'm ... standing up ... for what I believe," he said, wondering why he was having trouble breathing if he didn't _need_ to breathe. He giggled again, wiping at a sudden sensation of moisture on his lips, dimly surprised to see blood on them. "Oh," he remarked, sinking to his knees. "I ... wonder what that ... means..."

XXX

Tsunami wasn't certain when she had told Saryu-oh to send her to the site, but she knew that she had arrived, and everyone on the street had paused their senseless melee to look at her. She looked at both Tenchi and Yosho sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked.

Tenchi sheathed his blade, stepping back from Yosho, as the older man did the same. Yosho spoke first. "Tsunami-sama, I'm sorry. Tenchi ... does not quite understand the situation that we are in-"

The boy overrode his grandfather. "Tsunami! Yosho is being an idiot-"

The two found themselves silenced by Ayeka. "You're _both_ being idiots!" she yelled.

Tsunami blinked, turning to face her theoretical sibling. "Can you tell me what is happening?"

Ayeka nodded, pointedly ignoring both of the men, as Yosho and Tenchi grumbled quietly to themselves. "Yes, Tsunami-sama. Quite simply, Father has decreed that he would help ... but you remember that." She seemed flustered for a moment before collecting herself. "At any rate, unable to come to an agreement on how to deal with Father's ... request..." the venom with which that word was spoken left little to the imagination of what Ayeka thought of it, "that Yosho return to Jurai and accept the role of Emperor ... they fell to fighting." She glanced at Tenchi, murmuring, "I respect you, Tenchi-dono, but I'm afraid that right now you _and_ my brother are being fools."

Yosho and Tenchi blanched, both of them scratching their heads nervously in an identical manner. "Um..." they began, Tenchi trailing off and deferring to Yosho.

Clearing his throat, Yosho opened his mouth, only to stop as a tall blonde man lit on the street nearby from some point above, enveloped in a wavering cloak of what looked like blue flames. He nodded once, and the blue energy simply faded, leaving the man looking drained. He sighed, pulling his cap down more tightly, and glanced at Yosho. "Ranma asked me to take care of you. He's dealing with the girl alone."

Tsunami frowned. "Where is Ranma-dono?"

The man shrugged again. "Like I said, dealing with the girl - Ryouko, she said her name was."

A distant explosion sounded, and Tsunami raised one hand to her mouth worriedly. "Saryu-oh," she whispered, "tell me where Ranma is." The tree responded instantly, telling her that Ranma was nearby. "I worry for Ranma." Shaking her head to clear it, she turned to focus on what Saryu-oh was showing her more clearly.

XXX

Washuu shivered uncontrollably for a moment, silently promising that she would beat Ranma over the head when he came back - he had _promised_ to be careful this time - if he were more than scratched. But she was trusting him, and busy ... so had left the communicator off. Unless he were to call her by name, of course.

Cologne frowned, watching her. "Child," she pronounced carefully, "maybe you should rest."

The scientist resisted the urge to laugh, half-afraid that the carefully restrained hysteria would break loose. "I'm much older than I look," she assured the Amazon. "I can go for a few days without sleep just fine."

Dismissing it for the moment, Cologne turned back to the charts on the ground before her. "Mm. My people are here, in the middle of Qinghai. How do you suggest we travel with as many people as we're going to have to take?"

Washuu grimaced, turning to the task at hand. "Well," she said slowly, "I'm thinking that I can build a device that allows us to generate interference on the reavers' mental transmissions." She sighed, shaking her head. "The problems with this are numerous. If we just jam them, they'll adapt. What I need to do is to try and devise something that will make them all chase after one point. But the signal has to be vague."

Not entirely understanding, Cologne raised an eyebrow. "How is that?"

"Well..." Washuu hedged uncertainly, placing one hand over her heart as it inexplicably skipped a beat, and trying to ignore it. "What we need to do is very risky. We need to generate something that makes them think that the device is somewhere within about ... one hundred kilometers of where it actually is. If they _find_ it, they'll destroy it. So we need to make it confusing. If we're lucky, this will attract all of the reavers from the area."

Cologne shrugged in an off-handed manner. "So, we would leave the device here to keep them confused as we left?"

Washuu grimaced. "Not quite. They would find it eventually, and destroy it. Our best bet is to use this device as a smoke screen. Not a lure. They're attracted to it, but can't see through it." She gestured to the flat panel of her computer screen, which was rapidly streaming numbers and data. "They'll follow us. Unfortunately, the area immediately outside of the lure will become even more dangerous."

Nodding slowly, the old woman stared at Washuu's screen. "That's an interesting device... I'll trust you on this - you feel like the type that knows what you are doing. But what will this benefit us?"

"Hmm..." Washuu mused, pushing back at the slowly building fatigue. "It will draw all of the reavers near us, but not to us. Leaving everyone else safe."

Cologne's eyes widened at that. "Oh! So you propose we draw the reavers to a place where we can fight them, leaving everyone behind in safety?"

"I wish. The reavers are probably too smart. To be safe, no one inside the area should leave it. Meaning we would want to travel to Qinghai with everyone, and our smoke screen. By my calculations, that could take easily seventy days."

"Seventy?"

Washuu gestured at the computer again. "Assuming the average human walking speed of three kilometers per hour..." she trailed off, shrugging. "But that's not the point at the moment. The idea behind what we're doing is going to do much more than annoy them."

Cologne's eyes narrowed. "A sacrifice in the name of the people who aren't as well equipped to deal with the foes as us, hmm?"

Crossing her arms, Washuu glanced at Suu, still curled up a short distance away. "Well, we'll send away who we can, and keep who we must. People who are not as capable of moving to Qinghai - hopefully quickly. Once that's done, and we can, we'll leave."

XXX

"Hey!"

The voice penetrated the thick layers of exhaustion that were slowly wrapping themselves about him - and the constant pressure to change, with him only barely resisting.

His body, he realized. His weak, insufficient body - he couldn't even beat someone who was made of the same stuff as him. How could he ever expect to beat the reavers? "What?" he managed, staggering to his feet, ignoring sudden pain from his heart. There were other, lesser pains, and he could ignore them, so why not that, as well?

Ryouko frowned, sinking to float just over the ground. "What are you doing?" she asked, her weapon long since vanished.

His mind balked for a moment, a surge of pain and confusion denying him the correct answer. "I'm..." he shook his head, staring at her again. "I'm not givin' up. I'm not losing. I don't ... care. Gonna beat you, then I'm gonna beat the reavers."

One halting step, his body too weak to even levitate... Could he levitate? The blackness around the edges of his vision - where had it come from, anyway? He couldn't remember ... remember... What couldn't he remember?

His hand rose, obscuring his ever-smaller field of vision - darkness creeping inward. Blood? Why was he bleeding? He thought he couldn't bleed anymore ... what...

The darkness encroached further, the woman before him staring from a pinpoint of light in a vast sea of black as his hand fell away. A slow rushing noise filled his ears and he dimly heard his voice, slowly and thickly, so different as to be someone else's. "Gotta protect ... what I ... love."

XXX

Ran-oh-ki winced, turning his head about and sniffing in worry. His partner was in pain, and only getting worse.

Washuu was too distracted, and Ran-oh-ki felt weak ... was this how he was supposed to feel when his partner was getting hurt? Or was his partner ... dying?

Whimpering, he made a soft keening noise. The tall one who was sometimes short, with the blue or green hair... She had a nice smell. She could help his partner. He just needed to reach her. Saryu-oh could tell her what he saw.

XXX

Tsunami stared into the distance, distracted by something, while everyone else had simply lapsed into silence, waiting for Tenchi to make the next move.

Tenchi shifted his feet, considering his situation and coming to a slow realization. He might not have approved of Yosho's choices ... but they had been Yosho's choices to make. He bit his lip, while Ayeka watched him, flushed and holding one corner of her sleeve across her mouth, as though she couldn't believe the words she had spoken - words that were all too true, he knew.

Swallowing his pride, Tenchi stepped away from Yosho, then wheeled, bowing deeply. "I am sorry, Yosho." He took a breath to steady himself, then dropped to his knees, kneeling before the older man. "Please come back to Jurai with us! We need your help!"

Yosho shifted immediately, though Tenchi could see nothing, his eyes staring firmly at the street beneath him. The sound of Yosho's shoes sliding across the street told Tenchi enough. "Tenchi ... please get up."

Tenchi remained where he was, struggling to remember the lessons that Ayeka had spent hours explaining to him, drilling them into him until he could practically recite the formalities in his sleep. "Yosho-sama. It is the most humble request of myself, a most insignificant supplicant..." Tenchi grimaced, hating the flowery speech of the courts, and trying to remember which subtleties to avoid, and which to use. "I humbly beseech you to return to the court of your family and take your rightful place!"

XXX

Yosho's eyes widened in shock. Tenchi, as Yosho had known him, was strong of will, and not one to so casually back down from something he had chosen to fight for. That the boy would simply throw away everything - his attack on Yosho, their argument, the backing of the Emperor - was staggering. That he threw himself to the ground, and used the name that he had... "Tenchi. Stop."

It galled him, churning his stomach. Tenchi remained where he was, speaking loudly enough to be heard from his awkward position. "This one humbly begs an answer of you, Yosho-sama."

Yosho resisted the urge to grab the boy by his collar and shake him roughly - why couldn't things simply be as pleasant and easy as they once had been? "Stop talking like that, Tenchi. I... I'll go."

Tenchi raised his head slowly, his eyes meeting Yosho's. "Yosho-sa... Jiji. Thank you."

The older man nodded, looking away. "I... I don't... We'll talk about this later."

Terry sighed loudly, sitting on the curb and looking away for the moment. "What's taking Ranma so long?"

Yosho blinked, trying to focus his thoughts from the frantic and confused jumble that they had assumed with the knowledge of his inevitable return to Jurai. He had spent hundreds of years on Earth avoiding that return. To no avail, now.

He stepped away from Tenchi, and the boy, respecting Yosho, walked to Ayeka's side. Sitting near Terry, Yosho stared at his hands, deep in thought. All of his running, his hiding, all his attempts... "I suppose it's true, what they say," he muttered.

"What's that?" Terry asked, staring into the abandoned storefront across the street. "The old one about, 'Tis better to have loved and lost, then never loved at all'?"

Yosho couldn't miss the tone of bitterness buried in that statement. "Well," he said slowly, trying not to remember his own wife, passed away so long ago ago... "That's true, too, but I was thinking, 'running never solves anything', and ... 'you can't hide forever'." He shrugged, crossing his arms and wondering how he would deal with the burdens that were sure to follow his return to Jurai.

Terry winced, perhaps something in Yosho's words resonating with something in his own past. "I think I can understand that," he said after a moment. "So you're gonna leave, but you don't want to?"

Nodding slowly, Yosho took a deep, calming breath. "That's right. As little as I like it ... I have no choice, and I'm afraid that if I do leave, I'll be unable to help here."

"So, why do they want you to leave, anyway?"

Yosho pursed his lips thoughtfully. "My father wishes me to take the throne, which I have long been trying to avoid."

Terry blinked at that, his eyes darting across Yosho's countenance for a moment, and then away again. "Well..." he began after a moment. "Sometimes we don't get to make the choices we want." He laughed, though it was stilted. "And sometimes when we make the choices, we realize that they weren't what we wanted."

XXX

Tsunami blinked, snapping herself out of the frantic and frenzied link with Saryu-oh. The tree was worried - and rightfully - about Ranma.

She felt her body rise into the air slowly, charged with the ambient energy, and then the soft, tingling sensation of teleportation.

Taking a deep breath to settle herself, she closed her eyes, drawing on a power she had always hoped to reserve, and never to need.

Twice before, however, she had needed it, and each time, it had cost her something. Her very self, the first time. The memory of it was clear from both sides.

The immaculate ring surrounding her tree stained in blood, the princess lying prone and unmoving. Not dead, as her frantic eyes told, too scared to blink, too worried to breathe, and knowing that the pain she had taken from her fall was more than any mere bump or broken bone.

All of Jurai's science and power could not save her - not from that. But Tsunami could...

Her skull had fractured, slivers of bone impacting her crushed spine, and too, she remembered the pain of those slivers, and the horrific cold, slick feeling of the blood, pooling around her slowly. But more than that, she remembered the fright, the loneliness. No one was there, and she daren't call for help, yet...

She had wanted to cry, to scream ... to beg for help and mercy, and no one was there, except...

And then she had reached out to the little girl - herself - and mended the ruined flesh, and done everything she could to repair her hurts ... but that loneliness was something she could not banish. It was part of both of them, after that, as the two slowly began to mesh.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the memories, but unable, as she set about her work, summoning powers she wished she could hold in check.

Then, too, she had remembered the first incident, even the second time her hand had been forced.

Tenchi had been dying, his body almost entirely reduced to ash in what had ultimately been a futile display of ... phenomenal stupidity. Not that she could fault him. He had done what he believed in, which was admirable, even if not successful.

And then she had taken the still-living pieces of him, and healed the wounds - replacing what he had lost. He had never truly died. Had he, she might have been able to even heal that, though she was afraid of the repercussions should she try. He devoutly believed he had died, and she doubted she could convince him otherwise ... but Ranma...

She brought her attention to the present, over the silver, mirrored pool that surrounded her tree-self. Her 'real body' she used to think, though with Sasami's integration, that was no longer entirely true. The pool reflected her back to herself, showing the slight changes in the Sasami-reflection. She had aged some years, from pre-teen to adolescent, her hair changing shade slightly, thickening and growing shorter.

Tsunami took a moment to wonder what she looked like, trying to distract herself from what she had to do. But the moment faded with the urgency of the situation. "Ranma-dono," she whispered.

He floated before her, mercifully still, as though asleep ... but more than that, she knew. One slender, graceful hand rose, gently tracing a line across his abdomen, the pockmarks from Ryouko's explosions leaving cratered and ruined flesh behind, the battle-suit thankfully sealing the wounds and protecting him from contamination and the like.

Weaving her power, she reflected on how easy it would be to blame Ryouko for the entire situation. How simple... Ryouko had attacked Jurai, making Sasami fall. Ryouko had gotten captured, and Tenchi had nearly died trying to rescue her. And she had fought Ranma, damaging him so badly...

Perhaps Ranma would forgive her on his own, but there were limits to how hard he could push himself. And blaming Ryouko would solve nothing. Ryouko was misguided. In the first, she was not in control of herself, and in the second, she was hardly willingly captured. In the last ... perhaps there was more blame there. Perhaps. It would be for Ranma to decide, however, not her.

Smiling softly, she traced a line across his cheek with her delicate fingertips, leaning close. "Ranma-dono ... wake." He did so, the pain blocked, leaving him drowsy and tired. He blinked, trying to get his bearings. "Ranma-dono ... you have been wounded."

He blinked again, able to do no more at the moment. "I will heal you, and leave you with something..." Something, she reflected sadly, that he wouldn't be allowed to remember. Not for some time.

XXX

Tenchi stared at the spot where Tsunami had disappeared in a flash of light, worried. "Um," he started after a moment, "where is Ryouko?" Ryo-oh-ki made a soft noise, and the woman in question drifted into sight, her reappearance calming Tenchi quickly. She landed at his side, smiling weakly. "What happened?"

Ryouko fidgeted for a moment, her gaze darting from Yosho to Terry, then back to Tenchi, as her smile slipped. "Nothing," she said after a moment. "He finally ran away."

Yosho raised an eyebrow at that, shaking his head dourly. "That boy? I don't think he knows how to."

Ryouko crossed her arms over her chest, scowling. "Well, he teleported away somewhere. If he wasn't running, I don't know where he went."

Tenchi waved a hand, dismissing the affair. "I'm sure it's not a problem. Jiji, are you ready to leave?"

Yosho frowned. "I don't... I want to speak to Washuu, first."

Terry stood up, dusting his hands against his jeans, and nodded. "I want to see Ranma," he noted. "He's a good kid. I'll stick with him."

Visibly relaxing at those words, Yosho let his frown fade, smiling again. "Excellent. He should have someone who knows the ways of the world watching over him."

Terry grunted in a noncommittal manner. "He's got potential, that's for sure."

Yosho nodded. "Come on, then. Let's go."

Tenchi nodded at the man, a nagging thought causing him to wonder ... who _was_ this Ranma? If only he had gotten more of a chance to talk to him aboard Saryu-oh. Everyone seemed to know more about Ranma than him. He would have to talk to Ranma, once they met again.

XXX

Cologne watched, as the tall redhead worked her computer with startling alacrity. The woman was fast at using the device, even if Cologne couldn't really understand how the blasted thing worked. It did, though, and as much as she hated to depend on tools, it seemed to work very well.

"So," she said, tapping one foot thoughtfully, "it would take seventy days to move everyone from here to Qinghai?"

Washuu nodded, running her hand through her hair to brush a stray strand back into place. "Yes. As I said before, the average human has a maximum walking speed of three kilometers per hour." She sighed, shaking her head. "There are things that I can't take into account quickly, but assuming that as the average walking speed to be correct, since there are a number of mountain ranges in the way... Luckily it's spring, so we shouldn't have to worry about snow. At any rate, that should be correct."

Cologne frowned. "What if people walked faster?"

Washuu grimaced, explaining, "It's not that easy. Not everyone is in the form that Ranma and Yosho are - or yourself, for that matter. Most of them are simply normal people without the conditioning they would need. We'll take the people who _can't_ walk that quickly away, if we can, but we're looking at well over a million people here. Since we want to allow people all over the world to be evacuated, we're only taking four million people with us - everyone else will be evacuated by the Juraians, and they'll try and move everyone in our path to give the reavers a buffer zone."

"Hmm." Cologne looked pensive. "How long will it take to get more ships from Jurai?"

Washuu gestured at the screen. "Five months, more or less, and then it's going to take us two to get to your lands. So we'll have to try and defend ourselves there for three months... Of course, the Galaxy police should start arriving in small waves in about..." The redhead bit her lip, tapping a few keys in rapid succession. "About two and a half weeks. I'll relay a message to them to clear anyone from our path first, and then pretty much whoever they can manage to pick up." She nodded, sighing. "I have an odd feeling about Ranma."

Cologne smirked. The problems were far from solved, but they hadn't destroyed her yet. "Are you worried about Muko-dono?"

Washuu frowned. "Why do you call him that?"

Cologne chuckled dryly. "At one time, he was engaged to my great-granddaughter."

The redhead's eyes widened slightly and she leaned forward. "Really? What happened?"

The old woman sighed, shrugging. "He sent her away, trading his place for her." She shook her head. "For that, I'll release him of his obligation to her. Life satisfies honor, I would think." There was a moment of silence, Suu murmuring softly in her sleep, before the woman continued. "Who's to say he'll see her again? Or any of us will? No reason to compel him, now."

Washuu nodded slowly. "What about his other fiancees?"

"Oh," Cologne said, surprised at Washuu's interest, "well, let's see... Shan-Pu was the name of my great-granddaughter, and then there was the Tendo girl, Akane. Hmm. He was to unite their houses, the Saotome and Tendo schools together. And the third was an okonomiyaki chef named Ukyou. Kuonji Ukyou." She shrugged. "Why not ask him yourself?"

Washuu looked crestfallen at those words. "He... He can't remember. Or maybe he can and won't talk to me."

The light of realization sparked in Cologne's eyes, and she understood. "Oh," she said softly, "is _that_ how it is?"

Washuu blinked, looking askance at the woman. "What do you mean?"

Cologne chuckled. Ironic, the poor woman didn't even know it, and knowing Ranma, he would be oblivious as well! "Nothing, nothing, child. Simply ... stay near him. He's not the most open or trusting sort, so you'll have to have patience."

The scientist nodded thoughtfully, glancing upwards as a soft glow formed around her, brightening in its intensity into a shimmering column of light. There was a flash, and when it faded, another woman was standing near the redhead, this one in long, ornate robes, bearing a gentle countenance. But something in her eyes spoke of sadness, and resting in her arms, seeming to float... "Muko-dono?" Cologne asked, startled.

And it was him, too, laying limp, seemingly drained. He looked asleep, and yet... "Oh, no," Washuu breathed. "What happened?" A small furry creature jumped from the folds of the stately woman's robes, landing on Ranma's stomach and curling up there.

The woman nodded once at Cologne and released Ranma. He floated to land gently near the sleeping child, neither of them waking. "Yes," Cologne mumbled, noticing Ranma's changed ears ... much longer, less human. "What has happened to him?"

Pausing to gather herself, the woman explained, "Ranma-dono ... had a disagreement with Ryouko." She sighed, kneeling at Ranma's side and patting his head affectionately. "I'm... I am afraid that Ryouko was not careful ... and Ranma-dono has died. He pushed himself too hard, On-" She cut herself off and cleared her throat before beginning again, "He has pushed himself too hard, Washuu-chan."

Washuu knelt near Ranma also, being careful not to disturb the boy or Suu. "What do you mean? He looks alive to me."

Tsunami sighed sadly. "Yes, but Ranma-dono ... his human half was not strong enough. His heart failed him, and he pushed himself too hard. Nothing of Ranma-dono remains as human; only his Masu part remains."

The redheaded scientist trembled, blinking away moistness in her eyes. "Well," she said, struggling for control, "he never knew about the chance that he had stolen from him, did he?"

"Washuu-chan?" the other woman asked, cocking her head to one side. Cologne merely watched, wondering what knowledge she could glean from the pair.

Washuu calmed herself forcibly. "Ranma... I was going to surprise him, once this was all over. I was going to see if I could find a way to extract the Masu from his makeup and allow him to revert to his original form." She cleared her throat, placing one hand atop Ranma's shoulder. "I was going to give him back what I had taken away. That's part of why I wanted him to take care of himself... I wanted to give him back... And now I can't. And it's not because he was careless fighting a reaver, he lost it because... Because of my daughter." She heaved an unsteady breath, a lone tear falling to slide across her cheek, then drifting free to strike the boy's shoulder. "How do I tell him what he's lost, Tsunami? I don't know how to do this."

The woman - Tsunami - sighed forlornly. "There is nothing left of his original body, it's - it is completely Masu, now. But..." She smiled encouragingly at Washuu. "His sprit is his own, and that can't be taken away from him. Even though he is no longer what he once was ... his heart is still as beautiful." She shifted, placing her hand atop Washuu's and repositioning it over Ranma's chest. "He will not resent you. Save ... I would not tell him until Ryouko has left."

Washuu laughed, nearly a sob, and it came out as a strangled hiccup. "Of ... of course."

She gathered her composure and focused herself, as Ranma stirred, mumbling softly, "Go'way, Pop. Don' feel like it..." He lapsed into silence for a moment, then allowed his eyes to drift open. "What just happened? Last I remember I was talking to..." He blinked, his eyes shifting from Washuu to Tsunami, apparently just noticing that he was lying on the ground, each woman with a hand on his sternum. "What's going on?"

Cologne sighed quietly, wondering how sorry she should feel for the boy. More than simply Jusenkyou stealing his manhood ... this had stolen his very humanity. She had known he was more than he had been ... but such was the price. "'No good deed goes unpunished'," she muttered to herself. An unfair tradeoff if one ever was.

Giving his very life to save three young women, and what had he gotten in exchange? Power, to a degree, though it was barely enough by the looks of things. Scorn? He'd lost his mother; she'd gleaned that much from Washuu. He'd lost the closest place he had to a home, and the closest thing he had to a caring parent. Genma had to have meant a lot to Ranma, and he had been denied that... But perhaps it was for the better. Who was to say Genma would be any different from Nodoka?

Ranma might disagree, of course. But that left his position very complicated, and left Washuu, and perhaps Tsunami, in awkward positions as well. Ranma needed someone who would be able to care for him. To help him, to listen to... He needed a surrogate parent, and Washuu wasn't entirely fit for the job.

The old woman cracked a smile at that. There was something that might improve his lot - it would certainly help Washuu out, from her precarious situation. At least, it _might_ help... And Cologne wasn't about to deny Ranma the choice. After all, he had seen that one of the survivors, one of the people to get away and be guaranteed life, was none other than an Amazon! That should be rewarded, if nothing else. "I see you're awake, Son," she called out to Ranma.

He sat up, staring at her, and scowled. "What are you talking about?"

Washuu and Tsunami both rose, turning to watch Cologne as Ranma drifted to his feet. "Well, Son, I hope you enjoyed your rest. Are you feeling well?"

Ranma could only stare dumbly for a long moment, and then managed, "Don't you mean 'Muko-dono'?"

"Ah!" exclaimed Cologne. "So you _do_ admit it, then!" She smiled, clasping her hands behind her back and nodding knowingly. A little nettling to distract the boy from his problems.

"Uh..." he said slowly, narrowing his eyes. "No?"

"Very well then, Son. Now, run along, I'll call for you when I need you again." Ranma glowered at her, muttering under his breath, and drifted to the ground only to stomp away, shaking his head in confusion. "Son!" she called, causing him to turn around and stare at her expectantly. She indicated Suu and asked, "Would you please find somewhere that she can rest?"

"Oh, man," he grumbled, stooping down and gently gathering the child in his arms. "Yeah, yeah..."

Tsunami and Washuu watched Ranma depart, taking care not to jostle the girl. Keitaro and the two women he was speaking with waved to Ranma as he passed, and he nodded to them, asking something in a low voice before disappearing into the building.

Washuu smiled sadly. "That was ... interesting."

Cologne shrugged. "Mm. Ranma needs something nice in his life." She smirked. "I'm guessing I'm not it. Still, every little bit to help..." she trailed off, noting that Tsunami was staring at her oddly. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh," Tsunami apologized, "I'm- I am sorry." She knelt near the shorter woman, smiling. "I am Tsunami. Who are you?"

Cologne nodded, glancing back to the house that Ranma had disappeared into. "I am Cologne, of the Chinese Amazons. Pleasure meeting you."

She bowed low, surprised when Tsunami leaned closer, gently kissing her once on each cheek. "Please take good care of Ranma-dono, Cologne-sama." With that, she straightened, clasping her hands together and giving a meaningful nod to Washuu. "Please help her take care of Ranma-dono, Washuu-chan?"

Washuu smirked, a trace of the fire that Cologne had only seen hints of flaring to life in her eyes. "You can count on me!"

XXX

The low building was lit more poorly than before, half of the already dim lighting shut off, and the tables abandoned, still covered with assorted disassembled machinery. The directions Ranma had gotten said that the second floor had rooms where someone could sleep, and Washuu had used one of them.

What for, Ranma wasn't certain of at the moment. The upper floor was dusty, a long hallway lit by empty windows at either end allowing dust-mote-filled shafts of light to filter in. Some of the doors lining the hall were open, allowing a little extra light to spill in and dispelling an otherwise gloomy air.

He paused at one door, seeing an empty pallet on the floor and an open window. It wouldn't be good to leave Suu somewhere where the girl would be forgotten; if this room belonged to someone else, they would at least notice her. Shrugging, Ranma strode in, gently laying the girl on the futon and glancing around.

The small, box-like compartment might have been an office of some kind, though that 'might' looked to have been years upon years ago, if at all. There were no closets, no furniture aside from the bedding, and a pair of dirty windows stood open, another girl leaning into the second of them and staring out at the sky.

Ranma blinked at that, not having seen the girl earlier. "Um," he began, apologetically, "I didn't see you there, I'm sorry..." He trailed off as the girl turned to look at him, her soft eyes shimmering with unspoken emotion. "Oh," he said, recognizing her. Her name was Nuku, if he remembered correctly.

She smiled at him softly, but it looked a sad thing, only half-felt. "Hello," she managed.

Ranma scratched the back of his neck, glancing out the window, where the fleet could still be seen circling slowly overhead. "So," he began again, struggling for something to say, "are you feeling better?"

The girl lowered her eyes, fidgeting with the lower hem of her shirt. A borrowed one, Ranma guessed, since he remembered her last had been torn apart when she... "Nuku-Nuku is not damaged," she said slowly, looking away to stare out the window again. Ranma raised his hand, ready to say something, but he found himself at a loss and the words died on his lips. "But ... it still hurts," Nuku whispered.

Shifting from foot to foot, Ranma nodded. "I ... think I know what you mean."

Nuku turned to look at Ranma and cocked her head to one side. "Did you lose your mama-san and papa-san?"

Flinching, Ranma managed a nod. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess I did."

Nuku stepped away from the window, peering at Ranma curiously. "Does it hurt?" she asked, touching herself over her heart. "Right here?"

Ranma sighed, nodding again. "Yeah."

The two were quiet for a long moment before Nuku broke the silence. "Want to know a secret?" At Ranma's nod, she smiled softly and said, "Nuku-Nuku is really Atsuko."

"Atsuko?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Is that your name?" The girl nodded, the smile beginning to reach her eyes. "That's a nice name."

Nuku - Atsuko, Ranma reminded himself. Atsuko pouted at him, putting her hands on her hips. "Your name?" she prompted.

Blinking, Ranma belatedly realized that he had forgotten. "Oh," he apologized, "sorry about that." He scratched the nape of his neck again, smiling bashfully. "My name is Ranma."

Beaming a smile at him, Atsuko asked, "Will you be Nuku-Nuku's friend?"

Ranma grinned back, nodding. "Sure! I'm happy to be your friend." He glanced over his shoulder at Suu, still sleeping, and sobered slightly. "I'm thirsty. I want to get something to drink, but I'll be right back, okay?"

Atsuko nodded happily, chirping, "Okay!"

XXX

Atsuko watched the boy leave the room and smiled in satisfaction. Turning to the girl who Ranma had brought in - and was still asleep, she whispered, "Nuku-Nuku likes Ranma-san. It doesn't hurt as much when he's near."

XXX

Tsunami offered a hopeful smile to Cologne and Washuu, then clasped her hands together, fading away into the column of light that teleported her into one of the awaiting warships above. The redhead smirked to herself, fighting back the week and more of fatigue. She had gone longer without sleep, though usually in pursuit of some tidbit of knowledge, or trying to create something. Seldom because she was trying to help a lone boy and a wayward Juraian prince - however powerful they might be - save the world from destruction.

The diminutive woman with the staff shook her head, watching after the quickly disappearing light that had preceded Tsunami's departure. "Such things," she marveled. "I had never expected to see anything like this in my life."

Washuu snorted, shaking her head. "Trust me," she remarked dryly, "you haven't seen anything yet."

The woman raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh?" she asked. "What will happen next?"

"No idea," Washuu confessed, keeping the same dry tone, "but it's bound to be interesting. I just hope that we can save as many people as we can before this is all over."

Cologne grunted, looking away. "Of course. And that's a noble desire," she remarked. "Shall we go back to planning?"

Washuu made a face. "Probably."

Cologne tapped her staff against the ground thoughtfully. "Perhaps something to eat would be in order. Do you like ramen?"

Before she could speak, Washuu's stomach betrayed her, grumbling slightly. "Er ... yes?"

Cologne simply laughed, shaking her head. "I'll be back in a bit, then. Make sure that Ranma keeps himself from getting killed again." With that, the woman bounded away, hopping over the roofs and disappearing from sight. Washuu shook her head, watching the last streamer of long white hair trail out of sight. And Ranma took happenings like that in stride?

Her science had always been the science of the world around her, much more than the science of her own body. The things that Ranma could do... There was obviously a scientific explanation for his abilities - and she intended to find out exactly what that explanation was, once she could have a little time alone with the boy - but even once the secret was discovered, it was still enough to impress her. He had killed a reaver with his bare hands, something no one else that Washuu had known of had ever done before.

And as Ranma matured and learned the more complex abilities inferred to him by the Masu, he would become even more powerful. But he needed to learn to fight more cautiously, first... She shook her head, narrowing her eyes as Yosho trod into sight, trailed by...

She composed herself, awaiting the group coolly as they reached the building. Yosho spoke first, looking at Tenchi out of the corner of his eyes. "Ah ... Washuu ... I'm sorry."

Washuu blinked, quirking one eyebrow up at that. "What for, Yosho?"

Yosho fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment, so much of his casual confidence seeming to have been washed away somehow. "I'm... I'm going to have to go back, Washuu. Back to Jurai."

Sighing, Washuu shook her head. "Well, go, and hurry back, then." Turning her attention to Tenchi, flanked as he was by Ryouko and Ayeka, she nodded. "And how have you been, Tenchi-dono?"

The boy stared at her for a moment before he shook his head. "Fine, I guess," he said, throwing a sidelong glance at Yosho. Turning his attention back to Washuu, he asked, "I didn't notice before ... but why are you like that, now?"

Washuu evaded, "Like what?" Ayeka winced, shaking her head, while Ryouko snorted, crossing her arms and looking away. "Which reminds me," Washuu added, not wanting to answer Tenchi's question, "I'd like a word with my daughter alone."

Ryouko scowled, snorting derisively, "Whatever."

Using her most innocent smile, Washuu traversed the distance between herself and Ryouko quickly, grabbing the cyan-haired Masu-woman by her ear and tugging sharply. Ryouko's eyes widened and she flailed about, hissing, but unable to do more at the moment. "What was that, daughter?" she asked sweetly.

Grumbling, Ryouko yanked herself free, rubbing her sore ear. "What?" she asked, irritated.

Tenchi carefully avoided seeing anything, instead studying Central Defense East. Yosho joined the boy, while Ayeka subtly hid a frown, watching the exchange covertly.

Washuu walked some distance away, beckoning Ryouko to follow. The woman did so reluctantly, asking, "What?" again.

The scientist took a deep breath, regarding Ryouko levelly. "You make me think that I might be a bad parent," Washuu commented quietly.

Ryouko snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "'Mother'? Come off it - you did nothing to raise me."

"That doesn't make me any less responsible as a parent," Washuu countered. "Aside from which, I'm more your parent than Kagato ever was."

Ryouko growled softly, but conceded the point with a grudging nod.

"Now," Washuu said, becoming businesslike, "I half wish I could just give you a sound spanking and send you to bed, but I'm not certain that you know what you did. So, tell me why you and Ranma were fighting."

"Well..." Ryouko began, considering, dropping her arms to her sides. "I don't know, really."

"I thought as much."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Washuu sighed, rubbing at her temples wearily. "Ryouko," she said, voice clipped, "you shouldn't have been fighting with him in the first place. He's not physically matured enough to use your level of power. Do you know what you did to him today?"

Ryouko pouted, "I don't know. You're acting like I beat up a little kid!"

"You did," Washuu deadpanned. "Compared to you, he _is_ a child. Despite that, however, he's got more mental maturity than I've seen you display most of the time. He's got a sense of honor, a sense of duty, and he's got a strong heart." Ryouko's eyes narrowed, and her lips compressed into a thin, angry line, but she said nothing. "You have a wonderful heart too, Ryouko ... but you're never going to get Tenchi if you stay as self-centered as you are."

Where the other comments had merely nettled the woman, the last had pierced her mental armor, leaving her to gape openly. "What are you saying?" she asked, struggling to regain her composure. "What does that have to do with Tenchi?"

Washuu hid a small smirk. "I'm saying Tenchi won't think well of someone who did what you did. Tenchi wouldn't like to know that you beat Ranma up - and nearly _killed_ him - for what you admit 'you don't remember'." The scientist took a deep breath, pausing to look upwards before staring at the ships, still in their lazy orbits over the harbor. "I really don't like telling you what you should do, Ryouko, but I'll tell you this much. Most of what you've done after first meeting with Tenchi has only hurt any potential relationship you've got with him, not helped much at all."

Ryouko collapsed to her knees, still vulnerable from the first barbed comment. "But..." she began, "I ... I love him, and... What about Zero?"

Washuu nodded slowly. "Well, that helps round out what I would have considered a potential imbalance in your feelings ... but you need to acknowledge more of them." She held up a hand, one finger extended. "First," she explained, "you need to learn to respect - Tenchi, Ayeka, you should learn to respect everyone who you want to respect you." After a moment, she grinned, adding, "Especially your mother."

Ryouko narrowed her eyes, but remained where she was on the ground, nodding sullenly.

"Secondly," Washuu continued, extending another finger, "you need to give Tenchi some room. Smothering him won't help." Ryouko flinched, nodding again. "Beyond that, of course..." A third finger was extended, "you need to be more responsible for your actions. You can very easily do something you could regret, if you're not careful."

Ryouko nodded a third time. "And ... and what else?" she asked, trepidation overpowering her normal bravado.

Washuu frowned deeply, extending a final finger. "You're going to have to learn to apologize when you make a mistake."

The cyan-haired woman was on her feet in an instant, outraged, but her words failed her and she simply sputtered before grudgingly nodding. "Fine," she muttered, "the next time I screw up I'll say sorry."

"Oh, oh, no," Washuu said, smiling slowly, giving her daughter a shake of her head, "you're going to find Ranma, and apologize _right this moment_, if you want to start improving yourself. Shirk off now, and you'll never improve." She paused for a moment, considering, then added, "It's lucky for you that Tenchi is already in love with you, or you would have lost your chance."

At that, the already overwhelmed woman collapsed to the ground again, dazed. "Huh?"

"Go find Ranma and apologize to him. And remember what I told you!" she warned. "Your mother can't always be this forgiving!" Ryouko climbed to her feet numbly, nodding, and drifted towards Keitaro, where he was still speaking with the two girls who had been with him most of the day.

XXX

Ryouko stalked towards the young man and the two women chatting with him before the door to the building. Washuu had said to find Ranma, and he was _probably_ in that building, but... "Excuse me," she said, probably a little more brusquely than she had intended. Calming herself, she tried again, "Excuse me, do you know where Ranma is?"

The boy blinked, nodding slowly, while the two women eyed Ryouko, the lighter haired one looking unhappily suspicious, and the dark haired one smiling innocuously. "Oh," he said, taking a few seconds to consider, "he took Suu-chan upstairs to put her to bed. He should still be inside."

Ryouko nodded her thanks and turned her back, striding into the building. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly, allowing her to navigate through the tables to the stairwell with ease. At the top of the stairs she backpedaled, landing in a defensive stance as she nearly collided with Ranma, who instantly went on guard, eyes narrowing mistrustfully. "What do you want?" he asked, annoyed.

Biting back a retort, Ryouko shrugged. "To apologize," she said softly.

"Why?"

The boy stared at her, hard, and she was unable to meet his eyes. Trying to avoid looking at him, she focused on gazing imperiously over his shoulder. "Well," she began slowly, "I, uh, thought you were stronger than you were."

Bristling, Ranma clenched his fists at his sides, gritting his teeth. "How's that?" he hissed. "You're saying that I'm weak?"

Ryouko struggled for a minute, wondering why she had gotten stuck with apologizing to someone with such a short fuse. "I mean, uh ... you weren't bad," she said, struggling for words, "I've just had lots more practice than you."

Scowling, he relaxed a little, shaking his head. "Whatever." With that, he stalked past her, slipping down the stairs and shooting her a reproachful glance.

"Wait!" she called out. This wasn't how apologies were supposed to go. She had apologized to Tenchi when she tore his mother's kimono, and he had reacted differently afterwards. So should Ranma, but...

He paused, turning to look up the staircase at her. "What now?"

She struggled for a moment, feeling the burden on her heart that she recognized after only a moment. The weight of guilt. "You don't believe me. I really am sorry," she managed. "Um, I talked to Washuu about it, and ... it was stupid. I shouldn't have been fighting with you in the first place. I didn't mean to hurt you that badly."

The glow in Ranma's eyes dimmed for a moment, as he considered, then returned to their prior luminescence. "Yeah, it... Maybe we were both stupid. We both shoulda been fighting reavers."

Ryouko nodded unhappily. If Ranma didn't forgive her ... what would Tenchi think?

XXX

Yosho watched Washuu warily, the scientist toying with a strand of her long hair idly. Doubtlessly wishing for her laboratory and something more complex to fidget with. "So," he began nervously, wondering what she really thought of him leaving, "I'm ... not happy about having to go back to Jurai."

Snorting, the scientist nodded. "Understandably, Yosho. I wouldn't like being in your situation either."

Deflating, Yosho nodded. Tenchi was some distance away, speaking with Ayeka in low tones. Terry lounged on the lawn a little closer, occasionally glancing towards Tenchi as though he didn't trust the boy. "Well," Yosho grumbled, "I just wish I had more power."

Washuu cocked her head to one side, peering at Yosho thoughtfully. "As the Emperor of Jurai, you'll have a lot more power, Yosho." At his questioning glance, she smirked, adding, "And never forget your greatest potential power - the power of delegation."

He furrowed his brow and she looked away, idly toying with the same strand of hair again. He sighed, deciding she had opted to leave him alone with his thoughts, and watched as a van pulled up to the compound, the tires scraping against the sidewalk before it came to a halt.

A tallish man in glasses - Seta, Yosho remembered - climbed out of the van and waved towards Keitaro, but froze when he saw Terry. The pair looked at each other for a long silent moment, before Terry bounded to his feet and the two flew towards each other faster than Yosho could react.

Terry shouted, "Seta!" One fist was extended as he dashed towards the other man.

Snapping his head to one side, Seta matched Terry's gesture and the two halted, fists meeting loudly while Seta yelled, "Terry!"

Yosho blinked, and the men suddenly dropped their battle-ready stances and embraced, pounding each other on the back. "Man," Seta commented, pushing Terry away to look at him more clearly, "I haven't seen you since I dropped out of the circuit!" He shook his head, stepping back and grinning. "How have you been, Terry? Did you finally win?"

Terry's brief smile began to fade, and he shook his head. "Kinda. I mean. I guess. There's another level beyond the circuit, and after a while all I wanted was out..." he trailed off, staring at the ground. "Costs too much," he said after a moment, shrugging. "How've you been?"

Seta shrugged in return, scratching the back of his head. "I've been better," he admitted. "But I've been worse, too." His words after that point dropped to a level too low for Yosho to hear, but he could follow the drift of the conversation anyway.

Two men, soldiers in some senses, reuniting. One would choose life and to be with those he loved, the other had nothing left and chose to fight, seeking... Yosho could tell that Terry wanted attrition, wanted to fight and destroy... To destroy that which had destroyed _him_.

He sighed, shaking his head. He was merely distracting himself from the real problem, though. If those were warriors, which would he have been closer to? Now the choice was taken from him. Yosho, as the Emperor... What _would_ he do?

XXX

Ryouko paused, a small smile forming on her lips. "Say," she asked, "what if I show you some new tricks?"

Blinking, Ranma considered. What did he have to lose? The woman didn't seem to want to fight him ... anymore. "Okay," he said cautiously. "What did you have in mind?"

The cyan-haired woman smirked, rising up through the ceiling. Ranma hesitated ... he had wanted to get some water and talk to Atsuko, but... "Fine," he muttered, rising to follow her. As he passed through the ceiling he noticed it was getting easier to levitate and phase through things.

He was fifty meters above the house before he stopped, having reached the point Ryouko was at. She frowned and eyed him contemplatively. "Okay," she drawled, "why don't you show me what you got?"

Ranma grimaced, crossing his arms over his chest. "I did that," he grumbled. "And for some reason, I woke up here."

Wincing, Ryouko acquiesced, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Ranma shrugged, uncrossing his arms. "Okay, so how did you do that thing where you moved so fast I couldn't see it?"

The woman stared at him for a moment, thinking, and then answered, "That's teleportation. It's simple. You just need to be able to see where you want to you, and then move yourself there."

Ranma frowned, considering. Moving himself just by thinking about it? It wasn't a very good explanation. He turned to look down at the yard, imagining himself suddenly there, but nothing happened. Grimacing, he concentrated, while Ryouko instantly passed from one side of him to the other. "See?" she asked.

He shook his head, closing his eyes. The yard. He could see it in his mind's eye, Washuu sitting next to Yosho, and how she would look were he to be on the yard with her, rather than fifty meters above it. Ran-oh-ki's senses mapped out the space clearly. The table, of course, and the stack of watermelons, Keitaro and the two girls he was still talking to... Then, taking the image from Ran-oh-ki and building on it, he imagined the way the house would look were he _there_. Then he felt it, like some switch in his mind that he merely had to throw and-

-dazed, he opened his eyes. He was a few centimeters over the yard, just like he had thought he would be. Washuu and Yosho turned to look at him, while everyone else seemed oblivious. Ryouko appeared at Ranma's side a moment later, and then the other boy - Tenchi? - and the woman with long purple hair turned to look at the pair of them.

Ranma grinned slowly, looking at his hands. "Okay," he said, "this could be useful.

Ryouko smirked, nodding. "I know."

Ranma snorted, shaking his head, and struggled again, finding it easier this time. In an instant he was-

-above the compound again, and Ryouko appeared next to him a moment later. "Ugh," he groaned. That makes me dizzy."

Ryouko waved a hand dismissively, "You get used to it. C'mon, follow me." With that, she pointed at one of the Juraian warships, its ponderous bulk still circling the harbor. "Let's race."

Ranma grinned widely. "You're on."

XXX

Washuu watched the pair teleport away, smiling softly. "It could be worse," she commented. Ran-oh-ki made a disparaging noise from nearby, rousing himself and crawling into her lap. Raising an eyebrow, the scientist scratched the bottom of his chin. "Is your partner forgetting something?" she asked.

Ran-oh-ki nodded solemnly.

Shaking her head, Washuu whispered, "I'm sure it's okay. He'll remember, and he's been through a lot already.

Ran-oh-ki could only nod in agreement again.

Washuu shook her head, smirking, and glanced to the side as Cologne returned, bounding over a low building with a small stack of metal boxes balanced on one hand. The woman lit in the yard and counted heads. "A few too many," she pronounced, "but Ranma's got enough appetite to take care of that problem, most likely."

Snorting, Washuu rolled her eyes while Ran-oh-ki raised his head to sniff inquisitively at the air. He made a soft, curious noise, and Washuu smirked. "Silly little..." the rest was cut off as Ranma suddenly reappeared above the yard.

Ranma grinned, Ryouko appearing at his side a moment later, pouting. "Cheater," she grumbled.

The boy's grin widened, and he turned to look at Ryouko. "No," he corrected, "I beat you, fair and square."

Her pout increased and she muttered, "It's not fair that you're faster than me."

Ranma rolled his eyes, his smile not lessening. "Hey, rat," he called out, as Ran-oh-ki launched himself at the boy's ankle. "Ow! I didn't forget, I came back... Sheesh..." Ranma snatched his partner up by the nape of his neck, leaving the creature to dangle harmlessly from his fingers, obviously annoyed.

Offering an apologetic smile, Ranma set his partner on his shoulder and turned to stride back towards the large building. Washuu pursed her lips thoughtfully, but decided to let him be for the time. Cologne evidently thought much the same, and handed a bowl of ramen to the scientist, pausing after a moment to offer another to Yosho.

The man accepted his with muted thanks, still lost in thought. When Tenchi approached with Ayeka and Ryouko, Cologne repeated her offer of the ramen, which all accepted, sitting in a rough circle with Washuu, Cologne, and Yosho.

Washuu watched Tenchi closely as he smiled encouragingly at Ryouko in silent approval of her apology. Reading the emotion in Tenchi's gaze, Ryouko flushed, staring at the bowl of soup in her lap. Washuu fought momentarily for control, resisting the urge to laugh - Ryouko's mood swings when it came to Tenchi were sometimes outlandishly erratic. Clingy and seductive one second, shy and awkward the next.

She kept her counsel to herself, though, and expected that Ryouko would be able to navigate her way through the tangle of a relationship ultimately. The advice that had been given earlier would take Ryouko far, if she could remember to heed it.

Ranma emerged from the building a moment later, trailed by Nuku, who had Ran-oh-ki perched on her head. The girl looked around, seeming surprised to see so many people in one place. Patting the ground next to her, Washuu gestured Ranma to join her. Nodding, Ranma joined the rough circle with Nuku, followed a moment later by Keitaro, Seta, Terry, and the two girls.

Shaking her head, Cologne managed to produce enough ramen for all present, but only just barely. "Always plan to serve more people than you really expect to have to," she murmured.

Washuu smirked, glancing around at the assembled people, and broached the question, "So, who's going, and who's staying?"

Cologne snorted wryly, "You know my answer. I'll stay. I have no desire to abandon my home or my people."

Terry nodded in agreement. "I'll fight," he offered, turning to glance at Seta.

Seta grinned in embarrassment, fishing a note from his pocket. "According to this," he explained, "I should have gone already. But I gave my ticket to Haruka and Sarah."

Keitaro nodded knowingly as one of the girls with him fished a note from her own overalls. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I got one of those too! But I decided to stay with Keitaro-kun."

His normally calm and composed demeanor failed him as Keitaro gaped at the girl. "You ... you could have left, and you stayed?" The other girl with Keitaro seemed equally stunned. "But..." He relaxed, sighing. "Well, you have another chance to go now. You should, really. You and Narusegawa-san."

The other girl, the one with lighter hair, shook her head. "You're coming with us, Keitaro. Even Motoko's leaving."

Hanging his head, Keitaro surrendered. "Then I guess I'm leaving with Otohime-chan and Narusegawa-san."

Seta sighed. "I as well. Haruka insisted that I come back to her, after all. And I couldn't abandon Sarah."

Ayeka cleared her throat, being the next in the circle, and said carefully, "We will be returning to Jurai in an attempt to hasten the evacuation... We do not need to be _here_ to fight for the survival of your fellows."

Tenchi nodded silently, and Ryouko recovered her composure enough to bob her head in agreement. From that, all eyes turned to Yosho, who winced. "I," he explained nervously, "I'm going... I'm going back to Jurai. I'll see what I can do there."

None questioned his answer, instead turning to the next in the circle, Nuku. She blinked in confusion for a moment, then declared, "Nuku-Nuku will follow Ranma-san."

Ranma blinked, glancing at the girl askance. She smiled encouragingly at him, and he shrugged. "I'm staying here," he stated firmly, "my work isn't done yet." Staring Nuku directly in the eyes, he asked, "Are you sure that you want this, Atsuko? It could be safer if you leave."

She shook her head resolutely. "Nuku-Nuku wants to be close to Ranma-san."

Ranma twitched, wincing, and Washuu noticed Cologne mirroring the wince. "Um ... what do you mean?" Ranma asked cautiously.

Nuku latched onto Ranma's arm exuberantly, nearly dislodging their respective soup bowls. "Nuku-Nuku wants to stay with Ranma-san." Nuzzling his shoulder affectionately, she exclaimed, "Ranma-san is like Papa-san to Nuku-Nuku!"

Thrown by Nuku-Nuku's display of affection, Ran-oh-ki landed in a small pile, glowering balefully before climbing into Ranma's lap. As Nuku disengaged herself from Ranma's arm, he set the empty bowl aside, grinning nervously. "Um, okay. Yeah, yeah, okay." He took a deep breath, gathering himself, and took a moment to study Nuku, as she busied herself with the soup bowl. Everyone else simply watched him expectantly. With much less shakiness in his voice, he commented, "I can handle that."

Washuu smirked, shaking her head slowly. Cologne coughed, muttering, "Kids these days..."

Ranma spared a glance for the woman, before clearing his throat. "Anyway," he said, "what's the plan here? As soon as those," he gestured towards the ships overhead, "leave, I'm sure all those reavers that are hiding under the ground are going to come out and attack all at once."

Grimacing, Washuu shook her head. "We don't know that," she warned. "They might stay down there long enough for us to leave."

Scowling, Ranma shook his head. "Not going to happen," he stated resolutely. "The damn things set a trap, maybe for me, maybe for someone else. They're _lots_ smarter than you think they are.

Cologne interjected, waggling a finger at the pair. "No need to argue, you two. The answer is simple. Hope for the best, plan for the worst."

Washuu swallowed back her words. She couldn't really refute Ranma, as much as she didn't _want_ to think that something as dangerous as the reavers was intelligent. "Okay," she said, "that's true. In that case, what should we do?"

Ranma scowled, muttering, "What _can_ we do? The things are monsters - I have enough trouble fighting them one at a time, and that guy said there were twelve of them around here, right?"

"And at least two more underneath the bay."

"There's only one of me," Ranma grumbled. "I don't know what to do." Washuu winced sympathetically, seeing the difficulty in Ranma's expression - and knowing how hard it was for him to admit that. Maybe being beaten in a fight with Ryouko hadn't been that bad, except...

She pushed that thought away. That was something to deal with later.

Nuku spoke into the silence, surprising nearly everyone. "Nuku-Nuku knows... Mama-san and Papa-san left Nuku-Nuku with something..." she trailed off, her cat-ear-like sensors rising and twitching slightly. "Nuku-Nuku has something."

Washuu raised an eyebrow, prompting, "What is it?"

As if reciting from memory, Nuku said, "'Mishima Heavy Industries has an array of orbital weaponry, which can, in the face of the monster invasion, be used for the purposes of a defensive screen.'"

Washuu's other eyebrow rose to join the first, and she accessed her terminal, checking sensor readings of some of the nearby ships. Freya-oh was the highest in altitude at the moment, and the captain had left a channel open for sensor information, saving Washuu the trouble of sending a formal request.

After a moment of re-orientation, while everyone waited patiently for her to finish, she had the scanners sweeping upwards, instead of down. "Ah," she remarked, "I think I've found them. There are three, but why are they all together?"

Nuku shrugged, shaking her head. "Mama-san and Papa-san ... never activated it," she mumbled, looking downward again.

Washuu nodded, gleaning what information she could from the readings. "This is ... amazing," she managed, stunned. "How did the Terrans come up with the technology to create a positronic laser array? This is far too complex for any current computer to run manually even if it works!" Sighing, she looked up from the screen. Whoever had built it was a genius, generations ahead of their time. Washuu considered that for a moment. They had built Nuku, too, and she was complex beyond the comprehension of any Terran scientist that she had known of.

"So ... what does that mean?" Ranma asked, obviously confused.

Washuu rubbed at her forehead, still scanning through the information trickling in. "Well, Ranma, it means that we were given an ace up our sleeves we might not have had, before. The tricky thing is, I'm not sure how to operate it, yet. It looks like it's designed to be operated only from one specific point, which is ... nearby. Near the harbor, actually." She muttered, checking the sensor readings against the coordinates she had found. "There's a structure near the harbor. That's where the control center is," she grumbled, wondering at the complexity involved.

Ranma blinked. "Huh?"

Shaking her head and looking away from her computer, Washuu explained, "There's a weapon in orbit that can help us slow the reavers, probably, but it's dangerous. We can control it from here," she pointed at the map on the screen of her terminal, "but I'm not sure how yet."

One of Nuku's 'ears' twitched, and she smiled brightly. "Nuku-Nuku is the key."

Ranma shrugged, glancing around. "Well," he commented, "that seems easy. We have Atsuko go there, use the weapon, and stall the reavers long enough for us to escape."

Washuu nodded. "It could work," she opined, "but ... we can hope it won't have to."

Smirking, Ranma stood. "How much longer do we have before these ships leave, anyway?"

Ayeka answered before Washuu could, her voice calm and composed, "We will be departing in an hour or so. The Juraian Home Fleet is actively teleporting people from the outermost reaches aboard right now." She turned to Yosho, as though she were going to say more, but instead remained silent.

Ranma glanced towards the sky, frowning. Washuu understood his thoughts, too. The ships would be leaving near sunset. Alone in the dark with the reavers...

XXX

Yosho stared upwards, knowing that any one of the ships above could bear him away, and now, one of them _would_. To be taken to his father, and then... He coughed, whipping his head back down to regard Ayeka levelly. "How much time do we have?" he asked. "I mean, more specifically."

Ayeka blinked, surprised, and replied, "Um, a little less than two hours, Yosho-sama."

Yosho bit his lip, looking upwards. Juraian dreadnoughts were fast, but from surface to the far side of the moon, where his father - and the Throne - were waiting... "It's not enough time. I need to get to Father, and quickly." He punched the ground at his side angrily, wishing he had more time, time enough to get to his father before...

Ryouko smirked, waving at him from her position. "I have Ryo-oh-ki, Yosho. What's the rush for?" she asked.

Yosho quieted for a moment, considering. "I have to speak with the Emperor." He turned to look at Washuu levelly, stating, "I'm going to need Tsunami to meet me there. Can you please ask her to be there for me?"

The redheaded scientist nodded slowly. "Yes," she said, frowning thoughtfully, "but ... why?"

He shook his head, a slow smile forming on his lips. "Nothing... You'll see. Tenchi? Come. Let us meet with my father."

The boy blinked in surprise, then nodded, climbing to his feet and shooting a questioning glance at Ryouko. The cyan-haired woman shrugged, holding out one hand and concentrating. A few moments later, Ryo-oh-ki leapt into the extended hand to springboard upwards and transform into ship-form, displaced air rushing over everyone below as static electricity arced harmlessly across the ship's spines and a piercing wail rang out from the ship.

Ranma's jaw dropped as he looked from the ship to Ran-oh-ki, and then back to the ship, and then at Ran-oh-ki again. Yosho couldn't help but smile at that. "Ryouko?" he asked the woman.

She raised an eyebrow at him, looking askance. "Yeah?"

Yosho shot a meaningful look at the woman, "I'd like you to stay here, if you don't mind. I think there are some things you could explain..."

She pouted, but glanced at Tenchi and nodded. At that signal, Ryo-oh-ki gathered Tenchi, Ayeka, Yosho, and the guardians up, then majestically ascended while the Juraian ships widened their circuits to allow a clear passage.

XXX

"Huh," Ranma said, collecting his wits. "He could have said goodbye first."

Washuu blinked, looking at him, and shrugging. "He probably wanted to take care of something, first," she said.

He nodded, glancing at Ryouko, who pouted at the disappearing ship, which had already dwindled into a point of light in the sky. Frowning, Ranma asked, "Why did he ask you to stay here?"

Surprised, Ryouko turned to look at Ranma and responded with a shrug. "I'm not really sure," she admitted.

Ranma sighed, turning to look at his partner, curled up in a ball in his lap and looking oddly ... smug ... somehow. The furry creature watched him through one half-lidded eye. "So," Ranma prompted, scratching Ran-oh-ki's chin, "you can turn into one of those big ugly thing?" For a moment, Ranma got the distinct impression that he would be bitten, but his partner sniffed instead, curling himself up more tightly, releasing a great yawn. "Right," he grumbled.

Ryouko snorted, sinking to the ground again, while Keitaro and the girls with him began chatting about something quietly. The cyan-haired woman glanced at the others for a moment, doodling idly on the dirt with one finger before turning to look at Ranma. "You know," she commented, "I could still probably show you a thing or two... And if you're having trouble with the reavers, I might have a trick that could help you."

Ranma blinked, considering. "Well," he said slowly, "we need to get Atsuko to that place in the bay as soon as we can, so that she can help out once the ships leave."

Terry coughed loudly, standing. "Ranma, I can take care of that. It should be no problem, and anything that can grant you an edge in this war ... you should take," he warned.

Washuu nodded her support. "That's right," she said, "and while we're at it, Urashima-san? I'm going to call down to have you picked up." She blinked, remembering, and glanced towards the nearby building, adding, "And Suu, of course." Sighing, she typed in some notes on her terminal, smiling softly at something she saw. "Saryu-oh will be picking you up in a few seconds."

Ranma glanced upwards as a searching beam of light extended from one of the ships, halting on Keitaro, Seta, and the two girls with them. They only had enough time to look surprised before they were borne upwards and into the waiting vessel above. A secondary beam searched over the house for a moment, nearly as an afterthought, and stole away the still-sleeping Suu.

Washuu smiled to herself softly, staring upwards. Ranma felt he could guess what she was thinking. That many more people saved.

The scientist cleared her throat, glancing at Ranma meaningfully. "If we're going to be doing this, we'd best get to work," she remarked sternly. "Bogard-san, if you could take Nuku-san..." she mumbled for a moment, producing a sheet of paper with a map from her terminal somehow. "If you could take Nuku-san here, that would be ideal." She glanced around for a moment, looking for something. "I'm afraid I don't quite have the time to build you a radio-"

Atsuko shook her head, grinning. "Nuku-Nuku doesn't need radio!" she exclaimed, gesturing to her ear-like sensors. "Nuku-Nuku can hear just fine, only, Papa-san and Mama-san said that... That Nuku-Nuku shouldn't, since people can get upset..." she trailed off, slowly sliding back into the dejected figure that Ranma first remembered meeting in Yokohama.

"It's okay," he assured, her, patting her on the shoulder comfortingly. "Just make sure you only use it when it's important." Ran-oh-ki sneezed in his sleep, waking himself and gave Ranma what he was _sure_ was a skeptical look. "Er... Anyway, take care of yourself, and if there's something wrong, just do what Terry says."

Terry nodded, accepting the directions and glancing around. "It's a ways away," he commented to Atsuko. "Think you can run to the bay with me in less than an hour?" She nodded eagerly, and the two raced away with a speed that Ranma would have envied, if he weren't simply able to fly.

He smirked at that, drawing some small solace from the thought. "Okay," he asked Washuu, "what next?"

Rising to her feet and stretching, the scientist banished her terminal. "Well," she mused, "I need to get to the harbor to organize things. Cologne-san, will you be coming with me?"

The old woman nodded, gathering up her previously discarded staff. "Yes," she remarked dryly, "I have things to attend to beforehand. I'll need to return to Nerima for a moment. Would you care to join me?"

Washuu frowned thoughtfully. "I do need to hurry to the harbor, and it's some distance away..."

Ranma snapped his fingers. "Easy," he said, "I can take you there." He shook his head, wishing he had remembered when Atsuko and Terry left. "If we're in a hurry, that might be a better idea, too."

The scientist blinked as Ranma rose, moving the tired Ran-oh-ki from his lap, to his shoulder. Before she could comment, he swept her off her feet, carrying her before him in both arms, and rose a tiny distance into the air. "This should be easy," he murmured, "since I remember what the Nekohanten looks like." He closed his eyes, concentrating, and _shifted_ where he was.

To his relief, when he opened his eyes, he was where he thought he would be, a thoroughly shocked Washuu in his arms, and a completely unimpressed Ran-oh-ki on his shoulder. He set the blushing scientist down, smirking to himself. Ryouko landed nearby some moments later, staring at Ranma in confusion. "How'd you do that?" she and Washuu asked in tandem. The scientist and her daughter stared at each other for a moment, then back towards Ranma.

He blinked, shrugging. "Just like she showed me," he said, gesturing to Ryouko.

Cologne snorted, jumping from Ryouko's shoulder to land on the street. "I'll be back in a moment," she warned, ambling into the restaurant.

Ryouko ignored the woman, shaking her head. "I can't teleport and take people with me. At least, not very far. And I can't teleport to a place I can't see, either. And I can't teleport as fast as you..." By the woman's expression, he guessed that if she were a cat her tail would be lashing.

Ranma shrugged, slightly unnerved by her hostility. "Well, I can't throw fireballs around like you can," he managed.

Ryouko shook her head, stalking around Ranma in a circle, looking him over up and down, as though she had missed something with her primary inspection. "Can you phase through things while carrying someone?"

He grimaced, shaking his head. "I wish," he grumbled. "Then I wouldn't have had that trouble with Nonoko earlier."

Ryouko frowned, pausing her visual survey. "Are you sure about that?" she asked.

Washuu nodded, interrupting, "Of course. Phasing requires a specific quantum alignment that the Masu within yourselves generate. This quantum alignment essentially allows you to slip just to the side of matter, since all matter in the universe is filled with about ninety-nine percent empty space, save for the kind of matter compression found in black holes. That means that Ranma has a lower affinity for realigning himself with local matter, because the template for his powers was derived from Tsunami, not me."

Ranma and Ryouko blinked in confusion for a long moment, before Ryouko managed to understand a small part of what was said. "So," she said slowly, frowning, "all my powers are based off of you?"

Washuu smiled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Correct!"

"But you can't fly," Ryouko pointed out. "And even though you can make a shield like me, you can't phase through things."

Shrugging, Washuu held out a hand, allowing a glowing ball of red energy to form there. "The phasing is initially based on the Masu, not me. And there are other things thrown into the mix rather than just my own abilities, or the Masu, which may enhance other aspects that I haven't quantified yet. Take your specialized eyes and ears, for one, and your heightened senses of smell and touch." She clenched her hand, the ball of light turning into the blazing bar of fire that Ranma recognized as her blade. "Of course, we don't _know_ everything that Tsunami can do, and how much of it Ranma's inherited. But some of the tricks he has will be different from yours, and he might not be able to do some of the things you can."

Ranma frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "So what does this mean? That Ryouko can't teach me anything because we're too different?"

Washuu dismissed the small sword of energy that she had generated and shook her head. "Not entirely," she explained, "just that some of the things you can do will be different. Note that your quantum signature is more variable than Ryouko's, so you'll heal faster and can probably manage the body duplication trick more easily." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, Tsunami's template would probably let you do that _very_ well. I don't know if you can make a projectile like Ryouko and I could, or if you're limited to the blade ... but aside from what you've gained from her, you _also_ have your own rather impressive abilities, such as your 'soul of ice'. However, back to the subject of things that we know for certain, and the differences between you... Ryouko, for example, can only teleport herself in a direct line of sight and not take anyone with her, unless she takes a lot longer to set it up, then it's a slow process over any real distance. You, on the other hand, can't phase through objects with anyone aside from yourself."

"What about the rat?" Ranma asked, jabbing a finger towards the creature on his shoulder. Ran-oh-ki bit the appendage, causing Ranma to wince and retrieve it.

"He follows your template directly, Ranma." The scientist frowned for a moment. "There's much less inheritance of ability in that direction, since he's much more specifically engineered than you. Suffice to say that the Masu inherent abilities will be apparent in him. The ability to phase through objects and levitate, as well as his own ... sub-dimensional aspects, though that will readily become apparent later."

Ranma stared at Washuu for a long moment, Ryouko mirroring his blank and confused expression in silence. "Riiiight..." he drawled, turning back to Ryouko. "I think she said something about a body duplication trick. Can you show me that one?"

Ryouko nodded eagerly, shooting a mildly horrified glance at the scientist before taking to the skies, Ranma in tow.

XXX

Washuu stared upwards at the departing pair, pouting as they rose higher. "Was it something I said?" she asked no one in particular.

Cologne took a deep, slow breath to keep herself from laughing aloud. "Perhaps," she responded from the doorway of the restaurant, flanked by a somewhat sheepish Ryouga and Mousse. "These two idiots," she explained, taking care not to hide the affection in her voice, "have decided to stick it out and stay with us."

The redheaded scientist smiled at that, seeming pleased. "More help is always good." She frowned, remembering something. "Just be sure not to try and kill Ranma again. That would be very unwelcome, and I won't tolerate it."

Mousse and Ryouga nodded vigorously in understanding.

XXX

Yosho shifted his feet irritably. Tenchi tried to focus on the task of piloting, largely moot, since Ryo-oh-ki could guide herself without any real need for his aid. But it gave him a moment to look busy and be alone with his thoughts.

Ayeka, perhaps understanding of his situation, stood demurely at Yosho's side, flanked by her ever-present guardians. For their part, they hadn't needed to serve her in the capacity of defense, and that was something that Tenchi was all-too glad for. Ryouko got in enough trouble as it was.

He frowned as the ship paused, breaking free of the Earth's atmosphere and leaving the world below sparking like a giant jewel, the light of the sun illuminating everything below save for the dark swath of ocean beyond the terminator.

At least, that's what Tenchi's memories from school labeled the line of darkness. He reeled for a moment, as the viewscreen reoriented itself on the moon, wondering at the enormity - and impossibility - of his situation. A year ago, and he was nothing more than an average student, with average student woes, and a slightly abnormal grandfather.

Not 'Representative for Colony 0-315', with all of the hastily taught knowledge that Ayeka could instill him with, and the duties that the title bestowed on him. Chief among those saving the planet. Quite a jump, that, from high school student with an elderly and confused grandfather to ... well, whatever he was.

Except that, now, Tenchi knew, his 'grandfather' was actually much older than he had seemed. And Tenchi had met people the likes of which made Yosho appear to be the calm and reserved man that Tenchi saw him as, rather than the ornery and misbehaving shrine-keeper he had first seen him as. But then ... did Yosho manage to lose himself in that simple facade, forgetting that he was the son of the Emperor of Jurai?

Maybe it was hard for him, too. But Tenchi still couldn't wholly understand the man, and rather than try and speak, busied himself with the controls, watching as the moon passed beneath them and they drew into its shadow, nearer the Throne.

Yosho's face betrayed a knowing smile, one tempered with what Tenchi thought might be apprehension.

"What are you planning, Jiji?" he whispered to himself.


	6. Chapter 05

Process of Elimination - Chapter Five

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

Additional tinting provided by: Kitty Films, and Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A. (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku), Takashi Yabara, Viz, SNK (Fatal Fury). The easel is mine. That's all.

* * *

_ "From a historical standpoint, this will largely be identified as nothing more than an odd footnote, but from a relative standpoint ... the impact of Emperor Yosho's decision set in motion changes that will doubtlessly change the way that the entire hierarchy of Jurai works. Ironic, really, since he did so little to move events in this direction, other than his first official act. Actually, -" [record truncated]._

Laruma Karau of Minor House Laruma, Historian, House Laruma - Recovered fragment from personal archives circa Old Terran Year 1999-2000

XXX

Terry let part of his mind drift, focusing instead on the rhythm of motion, smooth, leaping bounds, the cat-like girl pacing him easily. He glanced at the map that the redhead had given him one more time, then stuffed it into a pocket mid-leap.

Nuku kept up even when he increased his pace, going at what he judged surpassed the speed of the average vehicle. There was, at least, a certain ... freedom ... in the act of simple running.

Even if he couldn't run forever.

He skidded to a halt, as more and more people began to line the streets, first the occasional couple or lone person hurrying in the same direction, then whole small families, and larger clusters of associates pressing towards a common goal. The harbor, he realized.

Nuku stopped behind him, looking around curiously, not even winded. He snorted, eyeing the streets ahead. As wide as Tokyo's streets traditionally were, only packed tightly with people, more of the worrisomely vast wall of humanity trickling in to try and cram their way forward. It was nothing short of sheer luck, as far as Terry could tell, that kept the masses from breaking down and panicking.

And a good thing, too. He shook his head, not even wanting to think of the mess that it would cause were such a thing to happen.

Turning his attention to the immediate problem, he glanced at Nuku, jerking his thumb towards the skyscrapers lining the streets. "Hey," he asked, "you think you can jump between those and pass overhead without falling?"

The girl nodded attentively, bracing herself for a jump, and Terry smiled slightly at the sight.

She certainly had a lot of energy. "Well," he remarked, "let's get going then!" With that, he vaulted out across the crowd, ignoring the gasps and yells of surprise, rebounding off of the hard concrete between floors of the nearest skyscraper, then angling inwards and deeper above the crowd. A glance behind revealed that the girl was still trailing him, her arcs higher and slower. "Just hope we don't lose too much time," he whispered, too quietly to be heard over the rushing air around him.

XXX

Wringing her hands in agitation, a young woman paced the hallway, unsure of what she should do. "Oh," she muttered, "I feel so helpless!"

Nabiki looked up from where she had slumped to the floor in the hallway. "What's bothering you, Onee-san?"

Flustered, Kasumi sank to the floor opposite her sister and sighed. "I feel so helpless," she muttered again. "Saotome-san is so unwell, and poor Ranma-kun!" She wrung her hands once more, prompting Nabiki to stretch out and hold Kasumi's hands to keep them from fidgeting.

"Onee-san," Nabiki said firmly. "Listen to me. Ranma's... Ranma's better off without that stuck-up..." she trailed off, composing herself. "I'm sure that Nodoka's just a little unbalanced. With some time, she should be able to calm down, and since Ranma's ... pet ... ate her sword, she's no longer dangerous."

Kasumi frowned uncertainly. "I don't... We can't go to the harbor without her, though. We can't just abandon her."

Nabiki snorted, shaking her head and releasing Kasumi's hands to slump against the wall. "If you say so," she grumbled dourly.

Both girls broke of their ruminations as a pale beam of light swept through the walls of the house, bathing the pair and brightening in intensity until Nabiki was forced to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself sitting in the center of a vast wooden deck, Kasumi and Nodoka close by and looking equally stunned.

A man wearing official-looking robes attended by a tiny wooden cylinder floating over each shoulder approached, nodding slowly and scanning a small display that the cylinders projected before him.

"Hello," he pronounced slowly, "I hope this translator is working correctly. Are any of you injured, or required back on the surface of the planet?"

Nabiki stood slowly, staring about her. The vast wooden deck was massive, and gargantuan walls loomed in the distance, along with a ceiling some dozen meters above her. Flashes of light appeared with somewhat spastic regularity across the wooden deck, leaving more dazed people to stare about in confusion.

Finally having regained her feet, Nabiki fell abruptly back down, landing suddenly on her rump. "Oh, wow," she managed, the enormity of the situation setting in. They were leaving Earth ... abandoning the planet that had belonged to humanity for all of the history that Nabiki had ever known. And Ranma was staying down there to fight, and try and keep it for humans.

A figure stood before her, bending low and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Nabiki? When Kasumi comes to her senses, tell her that I love her. I love both of you. I will come back, if I can." Nabiki blinked, trying to work her jaw as the figure - her father - straightened, and approached the man with the wooden cylinders. "I need to return; to give something to Ranma. Can you please send me back?"

Wait, Nabiki tried to say. Stop, don't go. But she was still too stunned, and no words came. The man in the robes nodded, asked some questions she didn't let herself listen to, and then gestured towards her father. Then he was gone, vanished in a sudden flash of light.

Another man appeared near her a moment later, dressed smartly in his business suit, somewhat rumpled from the transition, a small girl held protectively in his arms as he stared about in astonishment. The young man with the cylinders approached the salaryman and asked his question, "Are any of you injured, or required back on the surface of the planet?"

The salaryman shook his head slowly, still clutching the girl protectively. "I'm ... okay," he said slowly. Nodding in satisfaction at the man, the questioner moved on towards the next flash of light.

Another man in officious robes, accompanied by a trio of slightly smaller wooden cylinders over one shoulder, approached. His bearing screamed 'military' to Nabiki, and she gathered her will, trying to collect her senses. "Hello, and welcome aboard the Freya-oh. My name is Laruma Genoh, and I'm with the Silver Journey - Ginraii. Can you please give me your name?"

Nabiki numbly heard herself say, "Tendo Nabiki. This is my sister, Tendo Kasumi."

Genoh nodded, glancing at the trio of wooden cylinders to check something, and evidently pleasing himself with what he had observed. "Thank you, Tendo-san. There will be a briefing before we cross the gate and enter Juraian space." Genoh sighed softly, and walked towards the salaryman, still holding his daughter, and having calmed slightly. "Hello, and welcome aboard the Freya-oh. My name is Laruma Genoh, and I'm with the Silver Journey - Ginraii. Can you please give me your name?"

"Joudai Arashi," the salaryman mumbled. "This is my daughter, Yuki. I'm with the Tokyo Index and Exchange. I summarize the Index..." he trailed off into silence, looking as lost as Nabiki felt. "What happens now?"

Genoh didn't have an easy answer for that question, either.

XXX

The street seemed somehow empty with Ranma gone. And one of the strange women with him... Ranma managed to fall in with a lot of strange people, though. A few more shouldn't be too surprising, even if Ranma was less ... human ... and more like a character off of some cheap pulp manga.

Shaking his head, Ryouga glanced around, wondering what would happen next. Mousse eyed the redheaded woman curiously, adjusting his glasses from time to time. They were both dying to ask the same question, he knew, but both knew better than to do so. He sighed, scratching at his bandana morosely and sinking into one of the abandoned seats.

Mousse joined him after a moment, the two having settled into a companionable silence. Washuu and Cologne murmured quietly to each other about China, the old woman having produced a pile of charts and numerous baubles earlier.

He sighed again, wishing he could trust himself to walk outside ... but Shirokuro had settled down for a nap, and rousing the dog just to wander about didn't suit him. He grimaced, trying to think about the situation rationally.

"So," he said, struggling to think of something to talk about, "what do you think is going to happen next?"

Mousse looked thoughtful, glancing towards the two women, and shrugged. "Us going to China," he said. "I guess, at any rate. The old mummy probably wants to go home ... our village is there, among other things. Probably a few things back home that might help, too."

Ryouga raised an eyebrow. "Things that might help?"

The bespectacled boy nodded, taking off his glasses to clean them on the sleeve of his robe. "Yeah," he said, donning the thick lenses again. "I think that throwing spring of drowned duck water or something like that on the monsters would help us out quite a bit."

Rocking back in his chair slightly, Ryouga nodded. "That's true," he admitted. "I didn't think of that."

Mousse simply shrugged. "I just hope we don't end up being totally useless. I keep worrying that I should be doing more..." he trailed off uncomfortably.

Ryouga nodded, staring at the table before him in thought. Was that it? It was jealousy? Ranma was still doing better than they - rescuing his fiancees, and then coming back to keep fighting, despite his losses. Was he simply trying to one-up his old rival? Hanging his head, Ryouga sighed. Had he been that petty towards Ranma?

It was a bleak day indeed. "Well," he said, raising his head to glance at Mousse, buried in his own thoughts. "At least the day's almost over."

Mousse snorted, nodding.

XXX

Ranma hung in the air, still and relaxed. From his altitude, he could see over the mountains and on to the faint smudged line that was the horizon. The world was spread out beneath him, the sparkling seas to the south glimmering against the light of the setting sun, just barely visible some eighty kilometers and more away.

Further west, not far from the sun's own position lower in the sky, Fuji was clearly visible, the nearly cloudless sky being a welcome change from the weather that Ranma had become accustomed to. A passing cloud drifted below him, fleece-like in its texture, though he had been surprised to see what they were like when he had gotten closer.

A dark shadow suddenly eclipsed the cloud, as one of the Juraian warships from above altered its course, descending to the city below. Ranma watched, fascinated, as the dreadnought pierced the cloud, sinking majestically through the flimsy layer of vapor to plunge downward, trailing mist behind it.

"Huh," he managed, transfixed.

Ryouko nodded from her position nearby, watching the same scene. "I've seen more spectacular things in my time," she commented, "but ... it's certainly not bad to look at." She glanced at Ranma covertly, smirking.

He snorted, taking a deep breath, and letting himself ... drop. Ryouko squawked in surprise, diving after him as he grinned, watching the city accelerate towards him, hands outstretched.

The air snapped and whistled about him as he fell, until he righted himself, much lower, savoring each moment of the descent. "That was fun," he laughed, as Ryouko caught up to him, confused.

"What?" she asked.

He shrugged, drifting towards the ground gently. "I just ... I don't know. Have you ever done that, before? Just ... let yourself go for a bit, and then caught yourself again? Maybe you're just more used to flying than me."

Ryouko looked at him thoughtfully. "You think it's fun?" she asked, sounding more puzzled than she looked.

Shrugging again, he replied, "Well, pretty much, yeah."

She continued to look at him appraisingly. "I guess if it were new to me, I might feel the same way..."

He laughed softly, and was about to suggest that she try it when Ran-oh-ki shifted suddenly, causing Ranma to glance at his shoulder in surprise. How had the little furry thing managed to hang on? Further speculation was interrupted by Washuu's voice over the communicator: "Ranma? Can you come back, please? Cologne and I need to get to the harbor soon."

He sighed, accelerating towards the Nekohanten, Ryouko close by. "Okay, I'm coming," he answered.

XXX

Ayeka cleared her throat anxiously as Ryo-oh-ki pierced the thin and flimsy looking field that surrounded the Throne, sinking to rest some distance over one of the decks. The starboard deck, Ayeka noted, glancing around the flat surface, the stars sharply contrasting against the gleaming wooden floor.

Ryo-oh-ki chose that moment to transport them to the surface in a dizzying surge of light and color, before reverting from ship to the small creature that Ryouko so loved to torment. Tenchi smiled, catching it as it descended, and setting it atop Kamidake. For its part, the guardian paid its passenger no attention, simply maintaining position flanking Ayeka.

The princess masked a grimace as Tenchi and Yosho glanced about warily, both of them focusing on a pair of approaching royal guards.

Ayeka had taken care to recognize each of the Emperor's own bodyguards on sight, and these two were no exception. There had been surprisingly few changes after her extended absence, which alarmed her somewhat, but if it meant that she didn't lose her edge in the petty politicking that Jurai so loved, then so be it.

Giving the guards just enough time to open their mouths, she smoothly overrode them, saying, "Peruma, Saryo, it is good to see you. We seek the Emperor and time is short - take us to him."

They swallowed back their own declarations, nodding, and led the way, Ayeka demurely deferring the lead position to Yosho. He grimaced, but followed the guards, Tenchi carefully remaining a short distance behind him, yet ahead of Ayeka.

He glanced back at her, worry plain on his face. She'd have to teach him to hide that better... Not even the Minor Houses would be fooled by his best poker faces. Instead of reprimanding him, she nodded subtly, offering the merest hint of a smile. He relaxed instantly, his face smoothing to a mask of calm and readiness.

She nearly stumbled, but caught herself as he looked away. Then again, maybe he wouldn't need to be taught that much.

The rest of the journey was completed in silence, Yosho obviously wishing that it could be moved faster, though he concealed most of his ire until they reached the main audience chamber.

The Court was arrayed neatly around the Emperor, standing in the hall rather than sitting upon the formal seat - the control center of the Throne. Ayeka glanced around, hiding her search in smiles and polite nods at the surrounding courts, looking for ... ah. Tsunami was there, standing nearer the throne than the Emperor. Likely to be closer to the tree, Ayeka surmised, though she kept that speculation to herself.

The Emperor's pride exceeded his skill at hiding his expression, and he smirked, nodding at Yosho as he drew near, Tenchi trailing him. Yosho coughed loudly, stopping some paces before his father, and held one hand towards Tenchi. "Give me the Tenchi-ken," he commanded quietly.

Tenchi frowned, a moment of doubt visibly passing across his features, but nodded, handing the master key to Yosho. Yosho held it in one hand, inspecting it closely, while the Court watched silently. They wouldn't say anything until the meeting between Yosho and his father was over, most likely, with the possible exception of the Emperor's wives. Of course, Ayeka had never known her mother to speak out against the Emperor in public.

Yosho eyed the key for a moment, running his fingers across the jewels in the hilt, and then looked up to meet his father's gaze. "I'm here," he said simply. "Now what?"

The Emperor cleared his throat imperiously and nodded. "Well, it is good to see you again, dear son. We said we would wait for you to return to rule Jurai for as long as it takes ... and it may not even take as much time as we had thought."

Yosho shrugged, twirling the Tenchi-ken through his fingers in a brazen display of indifference. Even Tenchi winced upon seeing the breach of protocol - the only ones who looked to be unaffected were Tsunami, and Yosho himself. The Court gasped, if quietly, but no murmurs were allowed to escape. "Let's get to the point," Yosho declared. "And that's this: you wanted me to return so that I could take the mantle of Emperor once you decided to leave it, correct?"

The Emperor nodded slowly, frowning. "Indeed-"

Yosho flung the Tenchi-ken high into the air above, stating, "Okay then, here's the deal. You want me to come back, so make me the Emperor."

"We see no problem with that request," came the response. Brows furrowing slightly, the Emperor remarked, "It was ever our intent. Why do you request this, then?"

Smirking broadly, Yosho snatched the Tenchi-ken from the air as it fell back towards the ship's deck, and announced, "Right now."

Ayeka bit her tongue, hard, and Tenchi simply gaped openly. Misaki and Funaho exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows from their positions across the Court.

The Emperor shook his head slowly. "I don't..." He swore softly beneath his breath and coughed loudly. "We do not understand."

Yosho grinned, waving the Tenchi-ken at his father. "You want me to come back, then you make me the Emperor. Right now. Not when you feel like it, not in two hours ... not even in ten minutes. Right now," he demanded.

The Emperor grimaced, and Ayeka drew in a slow, hissing breath. If The Emperor said 'no', what could Yosho do? Shaking his head slowly, he appeared as though he would refuse ... but he relented, dubiously. Sourly, he commented, "As... As you wish it, then. I hereby pass the crown to you, knowing that I am leaving the Empire in good hands." With that, Azusa, no longer the Emperor, removed his mantle and handed it to Yosho hesitantly. "Congratulations, Emperor Yosho."

Tsunami glided forward smoothly, announcing, "I stand witness. Welcome to Jurai, Emperor Yosho."

Yosho donned the mantle, nodding as he tugged it on, and leaving his father to stand in confusion and wonder what his role was now. But then, Ayeka realized, his role was over, and Yosho was the ruler. She could see the Court boiling beneath their carefully composed exteriors. Likely they saw a way to change things to their own liking, and Yosho was horribly out of date on Court customs. Unlike Ayeka, he'd had his memories of the correct way of handing things dulled over the last seven hundred and more years of being no more than a priest at a shrine.

He eyed the Court, nodding to himself, twirling the Tenchi-ken in one hand and grinning. "I like it," he announced. "I can get used to this."

He snapped his fingers, while Tsunami drew to a halt at his side. Ryo-oh-ki bounded to his ankles and he leant down, scratching her behind her ears. "Well, it's been fun, all, but I'm afraid it's time for us to leave," he commented, eliciting a - this time - audible cry in reaction from the Court.

Ayeka swallowed nervously. Whatever Yosho was planning, it couldn't be good...

The man sighed and tossed the Tenchi-ken to Tenchi. The boy caught it belatedly, horribly confused as Yosho slipped off the mantle of Emperor. "My first act as Emperor of Jurai," he announced, throwing the mantle towards Tenchi, after the blade, "is to step down. Congratulations, Emperor Tenchi."

Azusa nearly suffered a visible conniption fit, exploding, "Now *wait* just one moment here-"

Tsunami raised a hand, and the former Emperor fell silent. In these matters, Ayeka remembered as a hollow feeling formed in the pit of her stomach, the decision could not be disputed by the heirs. They were to be settled by the Court. The only possible allowable exception to this was the word of the Goddess of Jurai.

Of Tsunami.

If there was no Emperor, her word was law. Addressing the entire ship, and granted the amplification of the Throne, her voice rang out, "I stand witness. Welcome to Jurai, Emperor Tenchi."

Then again, Ayeka thought, they probably never expected it to actually happen.

The court fell silent, stunned, and Azusa visibly fumed. "Yosho," he hissed, "how could you betray me so!"

Yosho shrugged indifferently, gathering Ryo-oh-ki into his hands. "About as easily as you can betray my people, Father. Now, if you don't mind, I've got a planet to get back to and defend." Dropping his voice to a whisper, he turned towards Tenchi and Ayeka. "Sorry to force you into this, but you can manage things ... there ... better than I can." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "And, ah, save yourself some heartache and secure a political alliance with a daughter of the former ruling house of Jurai, Tenchi."

Tenchi nodded dazedly, still staring at the mantle in his hands. The mantle of rulership. Ayeka felt her knees grow weak. "Oh, my," she managed. Tenchi. Emperor. Somehow, it made a dizzying sort of sense...

Tsunami smiled and reached for Yosho's hands. "I applaud your choice," she told him. "Now, we must depart." So saying, she gathered his hands on her own, Ryo-oh-ki scrambling to climb atop Yosho's shoulders. Her eyes closed in concentration as a beam of light from the tree enveloped both of them and they vanished.

Not vanished, Ayeka knew from a technical standpoint, teleported to another tree ... but it was still disconcerting.

Shaking his head, Azusa stomped towards Tenchi, grumbling, "Foolish boy ... he'll come back yet-"

His further words were cut off by not one, but both of his wives barring his passage. "I think not," Funaho warned, lips quirked into a smile.

Misaki nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I cannot reasonably allow you to approach the Emperor in my capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Royal bodyguard."

Azusa fumbled for words. "But, I, we, that is..." he protested feebly.

Misaki glanced at Ayeka and Tenchi, now the center of the entire Court's attention. "Besides," she stated calmly, before grabbing the former Emperor in a crushing hug, her voice escalating to a squeal, "aren't they just so _cute_?"

Tenchi sighed forlornly, dismissing them for a moment and struggling into the mantle. _His_ mantle, now. Glancing at Ayeka, he swallowed nervously, whispering, "I guess... Um ... I guess this means that I should marry you now, like Jiji said, right?"

Was that what he had said? Ayeka suddenly felt very faint. "Oh, my," she managed. "But then, that would make me the Inspector General of Information, Tenchi-sama..."

He shrugged, managing a wry grin. "I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather have there. It's just..." he trailed off, looking disappointed.

Ayeka wondered where the words that she spoke were coming from, as she heard her voice explain, "But, Tenchi-sama, the Emperor is allowed more than one wife, and could you think of a better bodyguard than Ryouko?"

Tenchi coughed nervously, flushing. "Two? Both? I mean ... uh..." He glanced around the ship, the assembled Court still studying him closely. "Okay," he said after a moment. "Why not? But, uh ... let's be _really_ careful when we tell Ryouko about all of this."

"Yes," Ayeka heard her voice, much louder than she thought she intended, "and let's be sure to keep her away from fragile things when she finds out."

"Fragile things?"

"Yes, Tenchi-sama. Fragile things. Things like planets, and the Juraian Home Fleet."

Tenchi blinked at her in confusion. "Oh," he said softly, realization blooming in his eyes. "Good point."

"If you don't mind, Tenchi-sama, I'd like to faint now." And with that, everything fell to blackness.

XXX

Terry hopped over a high chain-link fence, clearing the barbed wire easily and glancing back to make sure that the girl had no trouble. She landed lightly nearby, looking at him expectantly.

Shrugging, he turned to survey the area. The compound was large and low, except for one wide tower that rose easily twelve stories high, circular, with a blue steel and glass latticework structure covering the entire exterior. He glanced upwards, seeing the dishes that he assumed meant some kind of communications system that capped the structure haphazardly.

The faint smell of the harbor was evident, a salty tang that just barely managed to survive against the harsh smell of the city - droves of humanity, old air from automobiles, and the sour reek of wet asphalt. A glance to one side revealed a broken section of piping in a planter bordering the parking lot. The planter had flooded, and was even then flowing into the lot.

Nuku made a face at it briefly, then turned her attention back to him. "Right," he said uncertainly, marching towards the building. "Do you know your way around here?"

She nodded, staying in his shadow. The main door was like that of a traditional office building, double glass doors. The lobby was as deserted as the parking lot, a few flickering monitors for various computer screens displaying their data on Mishima Heavy. Nuku glanced around for a moment, then turned sharply on her heel, marching down one of the corridors immediately connected to the lobby.

Shrugging, Terry followed, glancing disinterestedly at the occasional posters lining the walls until they came to a set of steel double doors, a security station built into the wall at the side. Probably a card reader, though Terry's knowledge of those was limited, and it had been smashed into oblivion as some point, leaving a tangled mess of loose wiring and random parts. He grimaced, pushing the confused Nuku behind him.

She stayed behind him, frowning mistrustfully, and followed him cautiously into the next room.

Tables filled the room in orderly rows, their surfaces littered with a strange assortment of equipment and machinery. The floor was barely visible beneath the mounds of assorted junk - loose papers and stray parts pouring off of the tables to pool in untidy piles. But nothing dangerous, at the moment, and there was an intact security station of some kind near the center of a large, slightly curved wall.

The base of the tower, Terry belatedly realized. And inset into the wall, a massive steel door, small dents marring the seams where it was sealed. Nuku pointed at the door. "There," she stated firmly.

Terry grumbled, leaning close to examine the door. He had no clue how to operate the security device at its side - it looked like the previous one. Like a card-reader. Sighing, he tapped at the door once, sounding it out for thickness and solidity, then drew himself into a more advantageous stance, and launched his fist at the door with a resolute, "HA!" The steel rang dully, but didn't give way.

Wincing, he drew the hand back, shaking it. "Ow," he grumbled. "Okay, maybe there's another way in."

A tall, lanky, dark-haired man pulled himself upright from one of the heaps of amassed and discarded machinery, peering around blearily. Wearing a worn looking lab-coat, the man smacked his lips together tiredly, dislodging some of the devices that had somehow come to bury him. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice tired enough to suggest that he was about to fall asleep again. Blinking, he focused on Terry and Nuku, slowly waking himself up. "Oh, hey ... you guys got any mayo?"

Terry blinked in confusion. The man had an accent - a horrible accent, obviously he spoke another language natively. "Um ... no?" he ventured, confused.

Nuku blinked, peering at the man in consternation. "Damn," he grumbled, sighing. "You know how hard it is to eat a sub with axle grease?"

Glancing at Terry, Nuku asked, "What's a sub?"

The man shrugged, rummaging through the junk on the table and producing a large hoagie. "One of these," he explained.

"Oh," she said, nodding. "Nuku-Nuku likes those better that way."

Terry shook his head, leaning against the door and checking his watch. He didn't understand what was going on, but Nuku seemed like she might.

The man gave out a put-upon sigh. "You know, in the training video, they made a big deal of how Mishima 'cares for the salaryman,' yet they can't even spend five bucks on a jar of Hellman's. You ever wonder why that is?"

Nuku's demeanor drooped visibly. "Mama-san and Papa-san ... they cared."

Not seeming to have noticed, the man continued to grumble, "No, they gotta get Kroger brand mayo, which tastes like it might as well be axle grease."

Terry sighed audibly, interrupting, "Look, can you open this door? Me and the girl kinda need to get in there, if you know what I mean."

He raised an eyebrow, studying Terry. "What? Huh? Oh, yeah, that. What do you need in there for?" Before Terry could respond, the man glanced at Nuku, then grinned slyly. "Oh. I getcha." He offered a wink, pulling a keycard from one pocket.

Terry held his tongue in check, waiting. Once the door was open, that problem, at least, would be dealt with, and the man could freely think whatever he wished. He stepped away from the door to allow the technician some room and asked, "What's your name, anyway?"

"Durant," the man said, sliding his card through a reader and punching in some numbers. "From Jersey City. Why?" Terry got no chance to reply immediately, as the card-reader emitted an unpleasant grinding noise and spat sparks, refusing to unseal the door.

"Just curious. I'm Terry, and this is Nuku-Nuku." He winced at a secondary shower of sparks from the damaged security device. "Is it supposed to do that?"

Durant scowled, turning to glare at the card-reader like an old nemesis. "Fine. That's how we'll play it," he muttered quietly, rifling through a stack of papers, schematics, old circuitry, and half-eaten donuts. Terry wouldn't have been entirely surprised to find that the heap of junk concealed a piece of the Armor of Mars. After a mere second or so, Durant produced a weighty, but much abused looking crowbar. He gave a feral grin, promising to descend on the hapless card-reader like the fury of heaven.

"You really should have cooperated when you had the chance," he warned the inanimate object. "Now, I'm gonna have to make an example of you." He raised the crowbar high over his head and proceed to beat the keycard scanner like an overzealous thug.

Terry dropped his face into his hands and sighed loudly. "Lovely," he grumbled. "This is just perfect."

Durant stopped his merciless beating, gasping for breath. The once semi-functional scanner lay in pieces, stray wires occasionally sparking fitfully.

And the door remained sealed.

The technician dropped the crowbar into the sea of discarded machinery and schematics at his side and glared at the tables littering the room. "And let that be a lesson to you all!" he screamed.

Terry grimaced, grabbing the fallen crowbar before it could disappear. "Do you, ah ... mind if I use this?" he asked.

Shrugging, Durant responded, "Sure, have a go, though I don't see why you couldn't just use the supply closet."

Rolling his eyes, Terry wedged the edge of the crowbar into the slim crack at the side of the door. Centering himself, he grinned, saying, "Now, I'll show you how a _real_ man opens a door." With that, he flung himself against the crowbar, promptly snapping it into two pieces.

Regaining his balance, Terry stared at the two halves of the crowbar in dismay. Durant's jaw dropped and he stuttered, "Mo...Mookie?" The technician turned to look at Terry. "You... You *broke* Mookie?"

Terry shuffled his feet nervously and handed the pieces of the crowbar back to Durant. "Uh ... sorry about that."

Durant's eyes welled up with tears. "But... But... But..."

Moving past both of the men, Nuku placed her palm against a panel on the side of the door opposite the scanner, which emitted a sound, 'ker-chunk', swinging open smoothly.

Terry glanced at the doorway, resisting the urge to scream. "Hey, man ... you need a little time alone with your ... er ... 'Mookie'?"

Durant shook his head, growling, "Fine. *Fine*! Go to your precious love nest! See if I care!" Grumbling, he gathered up the pieces of his crowbar like a father cradling a sick child, clutching them to his chest and whispering words of encouragement.

Terry glanced through the open door and shook his head. "Look, do yourself a favor and get to the harbor while you can. Those things'll probably be here soon."

The technician paused his ministrations on his damaged crowbar. "Things? What things? More of you, you ... Mookie-breakers?" He began to sob slightly after those words, still cradling his damaged tool.

Nuku spoke up, waiting by the door, "Ranma-san says that they eat metal."

Durant looked at Terry. "Huh. You must be more hard-assed than you look."

Terry snorted, turning towards the open door, and shot back, "You'd better believe it."

XXX

Two girls walked slowly through a deserted park, side by side. Both had long hair and fair features. The taller of the two had a long fall of chestnut, while her companion's hair was a fiery-golden mane.

The darker-haired girl eyed her companion for a moment, drawing to a halt before a tree. Their clothing was perfectly suited for a pair of normal girls walking around Tokyo on a normal day. Except, of course, they were neither normal girls, nor was it a normal day.

The blonde looked askance at her for a moment, confused, and asked, "What's up, Makoto?"

Makoto shrugged, running her fingers across the oak tree's bark. "Nothing," she said after a moment. "Nothing, Minako ... just remembering my old sempai."

"Oh? Did he like trees?"

She shrugged again, wondering what had brought back the memories of her long gone boyfriend so abruptly. "Not really. Well, maybe. I don't remember that part really well. Mostly I just remember his eyes ... he had the most gorgeous eyes."

"I wish I had a boyfriend like your old sempai!"

Makoto snickered, shaking her head. "Who wouldn't?"

"Say ... what was his name, anyway?"

Makoto sighed dreamily, already half-lost in fond remembrances. "Saotome Ranma..."

XXX

A sudden shiver running across his spine, Ranma turned to Ryouko. "You feel that?" he asked.

She glanced at him and shrugged. "No," she said, pointing towards the ground below - the ground where Ran-oh-ki had chased a car, and a reaver had run from Ranma earlier that same day. "You see that, though?"

Ranma glanced down, observing the spot she indicated. A lone traveler in a worn brown duster, flapping against a faint breeze. "Hey ... someone's wandering in. We should probably take him the harbor, or something."

Ryouko shrugged, glancing upwards at the ships. Ranma followed her gaze, curious, and watched one of the Juraian dreadnoughts emit a pale beam of light. The light coalesced into a familiar shape, high above the ground.

Ryo-oh-ki, Ryouko had named the creature - her own partner - while teaching Ranma the body duplication trick. "Looks like Yosho's back," was her only comment, as the starship sank slowly to the ground.

Ranma glanced at her curiously. "What do you mean? And why did it come out of a ship, instead of just from the sky?"

Ryouko shrugged, drifting towards it. "I don't know, but I'll meet you back with Washuu. You go help whoever's down there."

Grimacing, Ranma let himself drop as Ryouko sped away. The dizzyingly exhilarating rush of air was just as sweet as it had been the first time - his hair snapping behind him, while the wind shrieked past his streamlined bodysuit. The jewel near his ear maintained its position without any physical anchor, and Ran-oh-ki managed to stay on his shoulder, whiskers waving in the air pressure.

He grinned at his partner impulsively. "You get a kick out of this, don't you?" Ranma accused.

Ran-oh-ki glanced at Ranma for a moment before turning his attention back to the swiftly approaching ground. But that glance conveyed, to Ranma, a very strong sense of approval. "Okay," Ranma said, "we'll try this again some other time."

Leaving very little room to catch himself, he flipped in the air, descending towards the Earth feet-first, loosing a raucous, "Whooo!" Slowing himself through the same mechanism that allowed him flight in the first place, he impacted with the ground - hard. He had dealt with worse, though, so dismissed it. A small cloud of dust blossomed beneath his landing site, momentarily obscuring the outside world, until he rose.

The dry breeze carried the majority of the grit away as he straightened, grinning at the newcomer. "Welcome to Tokyo," he greeted. "What brings you here?"

The newcomer stared in a stunned silence for a long moment, giving Ranma time to take in his features. A boy of about his own height, wearing dusty green camouflage fatigues, a light brown duster, and a pair of goggles to banish the worst of the airborne grit. The breeze ruffled his medium-length shock of black hair, and he reached up to pull down his eyewear, revealing a flash of the white bandana that served to keep his unruly hair in check.

Nodding to Ranma slowly, he tucked the goggles into a pouch on his waist, introducing himself, and rending Ranma speechless. "Uh ... nice to meet you, I guess," he said. "My name is Saotome Ranma."

XXX

Yosho glanced around as Ryo-oh-ki stopped some distance over the streets of Tokyo, sending him to Earth in front of a small restaurant. How the creature had known to home in on it was beyond Yosho, but Washuu stepped out of the building a moment later, nodding at him in approval.

Likely the woman had known what he was going to do even before he had done it. He stifled a sigh at that, turning to look at Tsunami, who simply offered an encouraging smile for him before gliding towards Washuu to whisper in low tones.

Ryo-oh-ki remained in starship form, maintaining her position. From what Yosho remembered, the Home Fleet would be leaving in only a few minutes. Unless Ryouko wanted to take the two-week voyage back to Jurai, she would have to hurry to catch the Throne's portal.

And Emperor or not, Tenchi wouldn't have a choice in the matter, either. He was Emperor in name only, just yet. There would be the standard fanfare surrounding a once-in-several-centuries event, as the change in title was recognized by the Council and then the assorted Juraian nobles would attempt to coerce him one way or another... No, the way Yosho saw things, Tenchi would need every whit of the help that Ayeka, Tsunami, and even Ryouko could provide.

He blinked at that, considering. And Ranma. Ranma could help too, by reputation alone. The boy by himself had destroyed more reavers than anything else, and letting the fact that Ryouko was just as powerful slip out would probably help Tenchi with more issues than Yosho could count.

The nobles would back away when presented with something stronger than the reavers - but more importantly - something also much closer.

A threat planets away and a threat hanging off the Emperor's arm lovingly were two different things. He sighed, glancing upwards as Ryouko landed warily, looking around. She met Yosho's gaze and raised an eyebrow speculatively, the two speaking at the same instant, "Where's Ranma?"

Washuu broke off her whispered conversation with Tsunami and glanced towards Ryouko to check. Not seeing Ranma, she grimaced, thumbing a small bracelet. "Ranma," she said sternly, "are you coming back?"

The reply was audible, and very strained. "Um ... yeah, Washuu ... I'll ... bring Ranma back. Uh ... can you come with me?" The air cracked audibly, displaced as Ranma appeared over the street a moment later, an unfamiliar boy carried in his arms roughly - and none too happily, to judge by his struggling.

Ranma unceremoniously dropped the other boy, sending his assorted possessions tumbling. "Hey!" the boy growled. "What's the big idea, you idiot?"

Shrugging, Ranma answered, "Was in a rush." He turned to Washuu, bobbing his head apologetically and still hovering off the ground. "Sorry about taking so long. Didn't want to leave this guy out here alone."

Washuu sighed, shaking her head. "Well," she commented, "I wouldn't want anyone to be abandoned out there alone, since the fleet's leaving so soon..."

The boy snorted, shaking his head as he reclaimed his dropped possessions and stored them carefully in various pockets. Cologne emerged from the building, likely alerted by the yells as Ranma dropped the boy, and eyed him warily.

Shaking her head again, Washuu asked, "What's your name?"

"Saotome Ranma," the boy grumbled, finishing grabbing the last of his possessions. "Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes, Yamasen-ken." Dead silence rang out in response, each of the assembled people - including the two boys Yosho recalled from that morning - simply staring at the other boy as he shifted his feet nervously. "What?" he asked after a moment. "Is it something I said?"

XXX

Cologne coughed pointedly, drawing some of attention away from the boy. "Well," she murmured, "it's nice to meet you, boy." She hobbled over to Ranma, perched on her staff, and patted him on the head affectionately. He glanced at her, but said nothing. "This is my son ... Tanma."

Ranma stared at her sharply again, then shrugged, Ran-oh-ki sighing loudly from his shoulder. "Um ... yeah," he muttered, eyeing the other boy. "Well, we should be going, right?"

Washuu nodded slowly, glancing at Tsunami one last time. "Yes," the scientist said. "R... Tanma, can you take Cologne and I to the harbor? Yosho, there could be some other people from Defense in the area, see if you can lead them towards the harbor, since the fleet will be leaving shortly." The redheaded scientist shot a pointed glance at Ryouko, who nodded once before ascending towards her ship, Tsunami simply disappearing in a muted flash after shooting a smile at Ranma. "So... Ranma. Are you going to help us, or are you just a refugee?"

The boy grunted, tugging at his bandana for a moment, and shrugging. "Guess I'll fight," he grumbled, "but ... I was looking for a scroll."

Washuu rolled her eyes. "The city is huge. Where do you expect to find it?"

He shifted his feet unhappily, staring at the reddening sky. "Well, I have to find the Umisen-ken somewhere. It's the companion for the Yamasen-ken, you see, and..." he trailed off, shrugging.

Washuu stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Okay, well, if you're willing to help, stay with Yosho. Tanma? We're going to need your help under the bay."

Ranma started at that, turning to look at Washuu in surprise. "Under the bay?" he asked. "You mean ... under the water, on the bottom?"

"Yes."

He stared at her, frowning. "I'd rather stick with Yosho, really..."

Washuu waggled a finger at him. "Unless you know a way to be two places at once, then sorry, we need your help at the bay."

Ranma grinned, nodding. "Deal. Okay, let's go."

With that, he swept the redheaded scientist into his arms, levitating a short distance off the ground, and glanced at Cologne pointedly. Smirking, the woman climbed atop his shoulder, while Ran-oh-ki jumped to the ground. And then, a slowly intensifying sensation of-

-otherness swept through her.

Dizzy, she nearly fell, catching herself at the last moment, while Ranma carefully set Washuu down on the slowly bobbing deck of a large ship. Ranma glanced around, smiling as if he were pleased with himself. Cologne jumped to the deck, studying the area for a moment. A giant collection of tents was scattered around, most of them looking battered and hastily erected.

From around a larger tent, a pair of sharply dressed figures in matching fatigues, rifles carried carefully, approached, glancing at the trio in confusion. One stepped forward, reciting slowly as though from memory, "Do you speak English?"

Cologne winced. The accent was atrocious. Washuu seemed to not notice or be affected, nor did Ranma, both of them simply nodding quietly. Lapsing back into his native tongue and relaxing - very slightly - the man asked, "What are you doing here? And how did you get here, anyway?"

Ranma shrugged, explaining, "I just came to drop Washuu and the old ghoul off. I've going to get back to Yosho." Cologne turned to reprimand Ranma, who had answered in Japanese, but an echo of his words sounded an instant later, in perfect, concise English. He blinked, tugging at the blue gem on his ear and studying it for a moment before shrugging. "Anyway," he muttered, releasing the gem to float in the air before him.

He stared at the gem for a moment, while the Americans watched in confusion. The edges of his body became indistinct and blurred, then there was a shift, and he faded out of sight. When he returned to Cologne's visual range a second later, he was standing next to ... his cursed form. The two looked at each other, grinning raucously. But there was a difference. Ranma had a gem in his wrist, and a flare of blue on his skin-tight black costume, while his cursed form lacked any gems.

Cologne opened her mouth to comment on that, when the redhead reached out, grabbing the gem Ranma had left in the air for a moment, and seemed to absorb it into her wrist. There was a faint humming sound, and a matching blue flare formed on her left wrist, to compliment the blue flare on Ranma's right. Done with that, the two nodded, and the male disappeared while the redheaded Ranma looked at Washuu attentively, still hovering slightly over the deck. "Okay," she said slowly, seeming to adjust to something internally. "What now, Washuu, Old Ghoul?"

Belatedly knocking the smaller red-haired female over the head, Cologne turned to Washuu, who looked impressed, and the Americans, who were shocked beyond words, jaws agape as they stared in stunned silence. "Yes, Washuu-san ... what now?" Cologne asked, trying to regain her own bearing.

Washuu frowned. "Well," she said, eyeing Ranma. "You could be a little more polite and ask me before you grab like that, but I am impressed." Shaking her head, she turned to the two uniformed men, and began speaking in English, "At any rate, my name is Washuu Hakubi, and I need to speak with whoever you have in charge."

XXX

Mousse made no obvious outward responses to Ranma returning as suddenly as he had disappeared, grinning at the assembled defenders. Ryouga, on the other hand, gawked openly. How had Mousse not reacted to that?

It was strange enough seeing Ranma float - he hadn't landed for more than a moment _yet_ - but the vanishing trick? The way he had passed through the chains earlier? It made his head hurt to think about.

"You know," he rumbled quietly to Mousse, "we should get on his good side. I don't think we could beat him if we pissed him off, now."

Mousse regarded Ryouga skeptically. "This just occurred to you now? I thought the levitation from earlier, and the fact that the red-haired woman with him said he's already killed three of the monsters himself was a pretty good clue. Considering that his father died to take out one..."

Ryouga frowned thoughtfully. "You have a point," he admitted. "What was that attack he used, though?"

"Something like 'poison snake deep hole blow,'" Mousse muttered. "Why?"

The boy who had named himself Ranma whipped his head around to stare at Mousse. "What did you say?" he demanded. "That's the name of one of the Yamasen-ken school's attacks! Where did you see it?"

Mousse and Ryouga glanced at each other for a moment, then shrugged, ignoring the boy. Ryouga thumbed the radio on his belt to life and glanced around. "Well," he grumbled, "what do we do now?"

Ranma turned to Yosho for guidance, and the others shortly followed suit. Yosho coughed delicately, glancing heavenward for a moment, at the mass of Juraian ships as they were bathed in the warm light of the setting sun. "I think," he stated slowly, "that we should look around to make sure that everyone in the area got away safely, and generally move southward, towards the harbor."

Nodding, Ranma floated upwards, the small furry creature at his feet pausing to bare his teeth at Ryouga before jumping to Ranma's arms. "I'll scout around," he said, patting the creature on the head. "I'll keep close by."

Ryouga shook his head, watching Ranma drift upwards and glance around attentively.

XXX

Ranma swept over the streets quickly, circling the slower force moving beneath him. He felt his own senses were dulled, dealing with being in two places at once, but _she_ was simply trailing Washuu and Cologne across the deck of the large ship in the harbor.

Ran-oh-ki's senses filled in where his own lapsed, so he gave the majority of them to his other half. It was odd, actually being in two places at once. Ryouko said it was made easier by a very slight change between the two forms, something subtle in the musculature, or the eyes, or the ears...

But she also said that the range and practicality were limited. Ranma guessed that by splitting himself into cursed and uncursed, and using the extra gem, he magnified his ability to use the trick into an effective weapon.

His partner stirred, stretching his neck out and allowing his whiskers to twitch as he scanned and searched nearby. He made a soft mewling noise to alert Ranma, unnecessary with their senses shared, as they were, and Ranma dropped down to the street with the others.

Ryouga and Mousse remained quiet and respectful, watching him attentively, while the boy claiming his name glowered. Yosho glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "I found something," Ranma explained before they could ask. "Close by. It's not a reaver, so I'm going to check it out, and be right back."

Yosho nodded. "Okay, Ranma. Don't take too long," the older man warned.

Ranma spared a nod as he flew towards the life-sign that Ran-oh-ki sensed. The others were heading south, towards the harbor. The sun sat heavily on the horizon, large and red, while the Juraian fleet above rose slowly, dwindling upwards into the sky. Ranma watched them for a pair of heartbeats, before reminding himself that time was limited.

Accelerating sharply, he zeroed in the life force that his partner was detecting. He halted suddenly, his heart giving an unsteady shudder when he realized where the signal was coming from.

The Tendo home. He swallowed fearfully, staring at the building.

It seemed so unchanged, so ... welcoming, somehow. But in his heart, he knew that it wasn't. Kasumi at least had treated him as she always had, and yet...

Bolstering himself, he stepped forward. If it were Kasumi or Nabiki ... he could take them to the fleet in the harbor, and be done with it. If it was his mother- If it were Nodoka, he corrected himself. If it were Nodoka, then...

He wasn't certain what he would do, but Ran-oh-ki made a soothing noise, calming him.

With that, he stepped through the unlocked door, calling out, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Ran-oh-ki's senses already told him the answer to that question, but he felt the need to ask anyway.

There was no reply. Ran-oh-ki directed him outside, and he followed their shared senses. Outside and upwards.

He exited the house through the back entrance, which had been left open, and floated upwards to the edge of the roof, calling out again, "Hello?"

A voice answered him shortly, "Hello, Ranma ... I didn't think I'd see you again any time soon."

He blinked, drawing slightly away as he regarded the lean man on the roof, gazing at the sunset. "Tendo-san?"

Soun sighed, staring at the sunset. "Just Tendo, Ranma. That's what your father called me, you know..." The man broke off, shifting a polearm near him, and Ranma recognized the naganita that was the Tendo family's traditional weapon at Soun's side. "I heard... I heard from Nabiki before she left ... what you did. And maybe they would have been safe anyway, but you took care to save Akane."

Ranma said nothing, simply nodding, while his partner remained cautiously silent.

"Anyway," Soun continued, "I had to come back here to finish one final favor to your father..."

"Tendo-san? It's not going to be safe here for very long..."

The man laughed at that, only a slight trace of bitterness sounding. "No... No, Ranma, it's not. And that's fine. I don't have anything left to take care of for myself, you see. Two of my daughters are gone, taken away to safety by whoever it is that showed up." He pointed at the ships overhead. "The other was sent away to a safer place even before that. And I'm left here, in the home that I built for my wife, all those years ago." He sighed, smiling.

Ranma closed his mouth slowly, finding himself without words for the situation.

"But ... really. I came back because of something I was supposed to do. Here I see you going about, being a hero and doing the right things... And me with unfinished work? It seemed very wrong to leave something unfinished - to leave this world behind without taking care of the things I promised I would."

Ranma nodded slowly, his hands dropping to hang at his sides. "Yes," he managed. "I ... think I understand, Tendo."

Soun smiled softly, climbing to his feet and whipping the naganita around himself with startling alacrity and deftness. "It's been too long," he mused. "Too long since I've truly fought." He shook his head, turning to regard Ranma levelly, lit from behind by the dying light of the sun. "You've listened to an old man rambling long enough, Ranma. Your father left me something, and I think you should have it."

He rummaged in his gi for a moment, producing a much worn and tattered scroll. "This scroll," he explained, "carries a school your father never passed on to you. I think he'd want you to have it now, though. It's not complete," he warned, "but I think you can manage to learn it anyway, should you want to."

Ranma nodded numbly, accepting the scroll in wonder. "Thank... Thank you, Tendo."

Soun grinned warmly, shaking his head, naganita slung over one shoulder. "Thank you, Ranma. It was my firm hope that some day you would become a Tendo, though you may not have known... Well, what will be, will be. You should go now. Farewell, Ranma-kun."

Stunned, Ranma could only nod, clutching the scroll that bore his father's legacy to his chest as he floated over the roof. "Tendo..." he said slowly. "Are... I mean..." He bowed his head, unsure of what words were appropriate. "Thank you, Tendo. Thank you, and ... if I ever see your daughters again..." he trailed off, wondering. Would he? Would he see them again? "Farewell, Tendo."

With that, he drifted away backwards, south and east, watching the sun frame the old warrior atop his home.

When the distance was as great as Ranma supposed the man could shout, the Tendo patriarch rose and saluted Ranma with his naganita. Ranma swallowed, unable to help himself, and wiped at the moisture in his eyes before turning away. Overhead, the last few beams of light from the departing Jurian vessels swept across the city before they vanished into the sky.

XXX

"... Mr. Norris. So if you could escort the civilian fleet, we would be very grateful."

The military man nodded, glancing around his office for a moment before replying to Washuu, "That would make the situation a little easier for us to bear, Miss Hakubi. Are you the representative of the civilian defense force?"

Washuu winced, then nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose I am. Seta left, and he was in charge, so..." Cologne smirked, but said nothing from her position near Ranma.

Norris nodded again, looking at a sheet of paper before him. "Well," he said, "I hope that we can work together, but I'm afraid if you've come to us for protection, we can't offer much."

Ranma shifted uncomfortably, most of her attention elsewhere, but in her split-state, it was nearly like being two separate people ... nearly. She did wonder at the fact that - as she figured it - the man was speaking English, and she could understand it. Speak it, too, thanks to the gem.

Washuu was just full of little surprises. Ranma briefly wondered what she would come up with next, but forced herself to pay attention to the situation at hand. One way or another, Washuu had negotiated to have the U.S. soldiers join their own crew on the trip to China, which was just as well. They likely wouldn't fare very well against the reavers alone.

The redheaded scientist smiled warmly, putting one arm around Ranma and pulling her close. "Don't worry," the scientist stated. "We've got a bit of an edge against the reavers already. I can try and see what I can do to modify your current weapons, but right now, I need access to your communications arrays."

Norris frowned doubtfully. "Why?"

Releasing Ranma for the moment, Washuu produced the computer screen she was fond of, and indicated some value that Ranma couldn't identify. Apparently, neither could Norris. Washuu sighed, explaining, "We've got access to an orbital positronic laser cluster. Nuku-san might be able to control it, but-"

"Who is 'Nuku-san'?" Norris interrupted.

Washuu gestured to Ranma, smirking. "Ranma's daughter."

Ranma snapped her neck around at Washuu, and rolled her eyes.

Norris frowned, but nodded slowly. "And this will let you destroy the 'reavers', then?"

Washuu hedged for a moment. "That's not certain yet. It should buy us some time, but we don't know how much power is there, and until I can access the diagnostics remotely, we don't know what kind of power they can output."

The captain's face twisted into a sour grimace. "Fine," he muttered. "Go ahead, if you think it will help. But what we really need is a long-term solution to destroy these enemies, and a one-shot cannon isn't going to do the trick."

Washuu gestured to Ranma, who nodded, summoning her blades. The captain nearly leapt out of his seat, staring in shock at her. Ranma smiled, letting the blades vanish and rising to float a slight distance off the ground, tucking her feet beneath her as though she were sitting. "I can handle a few," she tossed out casually.

"What are those?" the captain managed after a minute.

Washuu sighed, "Focused energy in a quantum matrix - near-anti-matter filling a frail energy structure. When something is struck with the structure it can behave either as a dense solid, or an explosive force. You'll notice that generally when the beams are longer, pockets of energy form opposite the 'blade' of the weapon to balance out the internal forces more easily."

Ranma blinked, trying to fathom what the scientist was speaking about. Norris raised an eyebrow speculatively. "Can you manufacture those for my crew? Or do you have a more versatile piece of equipment that does the same thing?"

"No," the scientist said firmly. "The ability to create them is genetic. So only Ranma can do it."

Norris's face fell immediately.

"I might, however, be able to come up with something else. I'd need access to a lab, and it will need to wait until after we've cleared the harbor and gotten the laser working." Washuu turned to Ranma abruptly. "Ranma? The Juraian ships are leaving, so if the reavers are going to be moving..." she trailed off, biting her lower lip.

Ranma grinned cockily, glad to have some attention from the redhead. "Not a problem," she declared. "I'll go down and keep an eye out."

Washuu nodded her thanks silently as Ranma sank through the ship, deck by deck, and from there, through the cold water of the bay.

XXX

Terry paced around the large, circular room, fearful of touching any equipment and wishing that he had thought to ask the technician for help. The room was ringed in rows of quietly humming machinery, replete with flashing lights, small screens with endless columns of marching data that he couldn't even begin to comprehend... And the giant glass tube in the center of the room, the upper regions dangling with various pieces of cabling that looked more like they belonged in some ecchi anime than any facet of reality.

Terry took off his hat and scrubbed his hands through his hair. "Okay," he said slowly, glancing around. "Maybe I can get someone on the radio to tell me how to work this thing." He frowned, trying to remember anything he knew about more complex machines. Red buttons were bad. Glass shielding over a button was there for a reason. And a very important one, yellow and black warning tape meant, 'Don't touch!'

The problem with that was that nearly all of the buttons he could see were either behind glass shielding that could be flipped up, were red, or were surrounded with yellow and black warning tape. He stared straight up at the ceiling, sighing.

Nuku watched him silently and he shook his head, turning to study the rows of switches labeled - oddly - in English. Switches weren't as bad as buttons, he reasoned. A switch could be reversed, after all. Despite his knowledge of English, the meanings eluded him. "'Phase dispersion'? What the heck _is_ this stuff?" Turning a beseeching gaze towards the young woman, he asked, "Do you know how to run this thing? I know that we're supposed to get Washuu to control it, but I'm afraid to touch the thing."

She nodded, and her ear-like sensors popped upwards. "Yes," she stated firmly. "Eimi-chan? Are you still here?" she asked, much less confidence in her voice.

Lights suddenly brightened, various displays flickering and resetting, and more of the machinery whirred to life, making Terry's hackles rise. He didn't understand it very well, and he didn't like it much, either. A sweet, childish voice echoed from a concealed speaker system, "Hello, Atsuko. I didn't think you would come back."

Nuku fidgeted for a moment, then bowed her head. "Nuku-Nuku is sorry she ran away, Eimi-chan."

A faint laugh filled the room from the speakers, making Terry wonder where this 'Eimi' were hidden. "That's fine, Atsuko. The coding that allows me to be upset with you was damaged before I was transferred to this facility."

Sighing, the girl walked towards the glass tube in the center of the room. "Nuku-Nuku... Nuku-Nuku needs to use the gift that Papa-san and Mamma-san left for her."

Eimi seemed to brood on the question for a bit, the lights dimming as the silence bore on, until they brightened again suddenly. "Very well, Atsuko. Enter the terminal so that we can verify the final decryption sequence."

Terry blinked as Nuku stripped off her outer clothing, leaving her in a tight, form-fitting bodysuit, bearing a worrisome hole in the center of her stomach and revealing what looked all-too-much like real skin to Terry's eyes. "She's a robot?" he murmured to himself. "Hard to believe..."

"Not entirely," Eimi answered, as the glass cylinder rotated halfway, folding partially into itself to allow Nuku access. "Atsuko is more correctly termed a cyborg. While mechanical in design, her body is organic in function, and her original brain is purely organic tissues reinforced with a complex and redundant suite of processors to monitor and convert the signals from her brain to her body. Her physiology is quite complex, and the term 'robot' is simply too simple to convey-"

"I get the idea," Terry grumbled, having been lost long into the voice's spiel. "You're a computer, right?"

"That analysis is most apt. My original parameters were substantially altered when my initial form failed in a test against the current threat."

"Uh-huh," Terry said distractedly, watching with a worried fascination as the various connections began to drop from the roof of the glass cylinder, linking up with various points on Nuku's body. Her hands, her elbows, her legs, one over her nose and mouth - even one at a point in the middle of her lower back. The final pair of cables, though, extended downward, to firmly clamp onto the girl's ear-like sensors.

Terry swallowed, as the glass tube swiveled, sealing itself, and slowly began to flood with a dark green fluid. "Is this normal?" Terry asked, concerned.

"Yes," the computer reassured him. "Would you like to see the systems she is going to access?"

Terry shrugged. "Don't have anything better to do."

"Very well." A large monitor on the wall, previously spewing out screen after screen of numbers, flickered, switching to a satellite's-eye view of Japan, Tokyo situated in the center.

The screen slowly focused inward, raising the level of detail and giving Terry the sensation that he was falling. He looked away for a moment, nauseous. "Woah," he mumbled, turning back when the image had steadied, focused on the harbor. "Great, this is... This is good, right?"

"Top of the line," Eimi said proudly. "There are fourteen decryption cycles remaining before we can activate the weapons, however. I estimate that it will take about twenty minutes, thirty two seconds."

Terry nodded, taking a seat on an abandoned chair. "Well, that was easy. So now we wait?"

"Yes. Could I have your name, please?"

"Bogard. Terry Bogard."

"Pleased to meet you, Bogard-san. My name is Eimi. Would you like me to sing you a song? Kyusaka-sensei taught it to me..."

XXX

Yosho glanced at Ranma expectantly as the boy rejoined the southbound group. When Ranma made no immediate move to explain what he had found, Yosho asked, "What happened?"

Ranma blinked, startled. "Oh, I uh... I was saying goodbye ... to a friend," he explained slowly, eyes downcast, focused on a small and much-worn scroll in his hands.

The older man made no move to press Ranma further. "Ah. Well, let's keep moving."

Ranma nodded, offering the scroll to Yosho. "Can you hold this for me?"

Yosho nodded, pocketing the scroll in a fold of his robes before the other boy who claimed to be Ranma could get a good look at it. The boy frowned, asking, "What was that?"

Ranma glanced at him, grimacing. "My father's legacy," he muttered. "Now let's get moving south. Who knows what's going to happen next?"

Yosho snorted, running a finger across the radio he still wore, as the group moved on.

Mousse broke the silence nervously. "It's quiet," he mumbled. "It's weird."

Ryouga shrugged, looking over his shoulder for a moment, guided on the correct path by the dog leading him onwards. "I've been places that were this quiet before," he said. "But... I've never seen that many cities this quiet. It is strange. A city... A place this big, and now it's empty." He grimaced, shivering. "I'm used to quiet, but the emptiness just feels..."

Ranma nodded in agreement, while the boy claiming his name remained sullenly quiet. "I've been places this quiet before," he said suddenly, surprising Ranma. "A few outlying places still standing, a few ... not. I haven't seen any of the monsters myself, but I've heard about them."

Yosho glanced at the boy briefly before adding, "We came in through Okayama, Ranma. We saw a few abandoned cities, too. Some of them simply leveled. You must not ever underestimate the reavers' ability to destroy."

They all fell silent again after that, trooping along as quickly while Ranma shivered. "There's a reaver coming," he warned. "Maybe more. Ran-oh-ki senses something else south of here, too." He rose into the air, grimacing. "Where are we, anyway?"

Yosho frowned, picking up the pace and moving from a slow trot to a fast run. "The last sign I remember said we were in Azabu."

Ranma nodded. "I'm going to scan ahead and check out what I'm sensing, you guys hurry."

Yosho grumbled, but led the boys onward, following Ranma's lead from overhead.

And in the distance, the last vestiges of the sunlight vanished as the first stars began to emerge.

XXX

Tsunami watched the Earth, joined by the still shell-shocked Tenchi, and Ayeka, who was yet unbalanced from the entire situation.

Not that she could blame them, of course. Rulership of Jurai was not something one expected to have handed to them that suddenly - or at all, in Tenchi's case. The boy was ill equipped, and barely ready to handle the situation. Ayeka was better trained, but completely taken off guard by the whole affair.

And Ryouko... Now that would be a tricky situation, Tsunami mused, watching the planet Earth recede in the distance, as the former Emperor sullenly piloted his ship. The schedule needed to be adhered to, of course, and the fleet framing the Throne was filled to maximum capacity...

Of course, the second they got back, Tenchi would be swamped with would-be advisors and ne'er-do-wells trying to ingratiate themselves upon the 'impressionable' new royalty. Tsunami sighed, but managed a smile when Ayeka suddenly raised herself defiantly, most likely already planning for what would happen next.

Until Tenchi could officially instate Ayeka and Ryouko as the Inspector General of Information and the Supreme Commander of the Royal Bodyguard respectively, he would have Funaho and Misaki to help him manage things. The pair were standing a short distance away, a bubble around them keeping the rest of the Court at bay already as they whispered to each other - doubtlessly preparing for their return to Jurai.

Tsunami schooled her expression, quashing down a sudden and unexpected surge of panic as the Throne opened a gateway, and the Home fleet crossed through it. She raised one hand, halfway, as though she were going to wave to someone on Earth, but instead lowered it. "Why did I do that?" she mused, nearly silently.

XXX

Makoto glanced around the otherwise deserted street. She had no family of her own, but from the plan they had discussed earlier, those who did have family were sent away to safety. Minako lounged against a lamppost, bored.

The blonde sighed, looking upwards. She brightened suddenly, and opened her mouth to say something. At that point, triggered by some unknown mechanism, the light turned on. Minako blinked and smiled at the light, lowering her face to look at Makoto. "Hey," she asked cheerfully, "isn't that good luck?"

Smirking, Makoto spread her hands in a helpless gesture. "I have no idea," she answered. "The others should be here soon. Should we transform?"

"Yeah, it's not like there's anyone around to see us."

Two brightly colored flashes of light later, and the girls had vanished, sensible and warm clothing vanishing in favor of brightly colored sailor outfits. "Okay!" Makoto exclaimed. "Once the others get here, we'll be ready."

"Ready for what?"

Makoto rolled her eyes. "To defend the city."

"Oh, right."

The rest of their allies arrived in short order, Saturn, followed swiftly by Mars and Mercury. Endymion hadn't shown up yet - likely because of the wounds the monsters were creating in the Earth. The wounds that affected him as well, making escape impossible. Which was why Moon was absent. Someone needed to take care of him by moving him to the harbor, and safety. They would have been happier if they could _all_ have helped, but they were needed elsewhere.

"Where's Pluto?" Jupiter asked, confused. "I thought she was supposed to meet us here and tell us what we were supposed to do next."

Mercury pursed her lips thoughtfully, offering, "Perhaps she was delayed?"

Further speculation was cut off as Mars glanced about herself nervously. "Um, I sense something very strange approaching," she said worriedly.

The entire group fell into a careful silence, spread out into a wide circle. Saturn leaned against the Silence Glaive near a storefront, while the rest of the senshi fanned out from her, each peering about warily and making as little noise as possible. The moon cats finally made their presence known, climbing atop an abandoned car for a better vantage and sniffing around themselves cautiously.

Mars sighed softly, shivering. "I guess it was a false alarm," she murmured. The rest of the senshi shrugged, but before any of them could speak, a voice shattered the quiet, "Look out!"

Jupiter whipped her head around to locate the speaker, but he was already gone, and Saturn's shrill cry of alarm distracted her. She spun again, only in time to see a man, or something _like_ a man, though she didn't have enough time to make out his facial features, wrap his arms around Saturn, lifting her off the sidewalk, and then simply vanish. Only a half-second later, the storefront where she had been standing exploded violently as a mass of black carapace and shattered glass tumbled through.

XXX

Ranma hefted the girl in his arms carefully, trying not to hurt her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. She squirmed around, trying to get a good look at him, and he lit upon the roof of a nearby building, setting her down.

She spun to face him, holding her polearm before her protectively. "Who are you?" she asked mistrustfully.

"Name's Ranma." He removed Ran-oh-ki from his shoulder, allowing the creature to hop to the roof. "This is my partner; he'll keep an eye on you. I'd like to know what a bunch of cheerleaders are doing out here right now, but I gotta go. Try not to hurt yourself."

With that, he gracefully leapt backwards off of the building, somersaulting through the air to land in the middle of the street, creating a three-meter-wide crater and startling the rest of the cheerleaders back with cries of, "It's a youma!"

Good, he decided. If the cheerleaders were scared away from him, then he wouldn't have to worry about them being hurt. Though the reavers should be scary enough, really.

Time for that thought later.

He stood slowly from the crouch he had landed in, glancing up some twelve stories to see the cheerleader he had taken to safety staring down at him over the edge in consternation. Shrugging, he turned his attention to the reaver before him as it straightened, skittering towards him in a fast sideways arc, probably attempting to get the better of him.

But this time, Ranma was prepared - the battle against Ryouko had taught him a few things about how he could better use his abilities.

He dove towards it, sinking through the ground and floating back up behind it while it spun to face him. Taking advantage of its momentary surprise, he launched a powerful roundhouse into the joint between its abdomen and one leg, throwing all of his strength and cheating a bit by adding all of the power his levitation afforded him into the blow.

The reaver was thrown back violently, soaring through the air to impact jarringly against the side of an office building two stories above the ground and disappearing inside. The excess force left Ranma spinning, and he landed unsteadily to reclaim his balance. "Heh, the old momentum trick revised," he said slowly, dizzy from the sudden motion. "Masu surprise!"

Bits of glass, twisted steel, and masonry rained to the ground noisily as the reaver exploded from the building again, all claws and violent motion. Ranma instantly sank beneath the ground, Ran-oh-ki's linked senses allowing him to avoid the thing while phased. He rose to the street again, next to the cheerleader with long black hair in a mane down her back, red skirt and all.

She stared at him, eyes wide, and he grinned cockily, aware of the reaver's location as it resurfaced further down the street. The girl pointed suddenly over his shoulder, yelling a warning, and he dove towards her, alerted again by his partner. Gathering her in his arms, he teleported again, this time staying just above the street. He couldn't afford to leave the field of battle when a pair of reavers were attacking defenseless girls, after all.

The reaver he narrowly dodged backpedaled furiously, tearing long gouges of the asphalt up in its wake. "Alright, bugs! You and me, 'cause I got a lot of anger, and you're about the only thing around that can take it!" He set the girl down, reeling and dizzy. "You just stay out of harm's way," he advised her.

The pair of reavers charged together, halted by a shout of, "Mars fire, ignite!" With the sudden battle cry, a river of flame poured from the hands of the girl who he had just moved - the one with the red skirt - bathing both of the reavers in angry, searing heat, and setting a parked car ablaze.

Ranma's jaw dropped, and he blinked. "What the hell was that?" he demanded, stunned.

The girl turned to look at him cautiously, her eyes traversing his body from head to toe, then back up before she responded, holding her hands towards him in a ready stance. "I'm Sailor Mars," she declared, "one of the-"

The rest of the declaration was cut off as Ranma grabbed her, lifting her and teleporting across the fire again. Both reavers emerged from the flame unscathed, charging blindly. It could be that the fire had obstructed their vision, but Ranma knew that fire didn't work as well as cold against them. Washuu had explained quite a bit about the reavers to him on their journey to Tokyo.

"Sorry," he said, setting her down as she blinked in confusion at the two undamaged reavers. "Fire doesn't do a lot to those." The rest of the girls had drawn closer towards him, most of them unhappily. Yosho emerged from a nearby alley, Ryouga, Mousse and the other boy right on his heels.

One of the girls - one that reminded Ranma very much of Ukyou, only with a green skirt - pointed suddenly, exclaiming, "RANMA!"

And over the crackling flames, a single word rang out: "Crap!"

XXX

Ranma stared upwards, falling through the bay. It wasn't deep, once she neared the bottom. But then, she had always gauged 'depth' to be a function of how long she could last without air, not how far from the surface she was. Not needing to breathe rendered that system moot.

Her eyes shifted opening and her vision seemed to swim for a moment, a flurry of colors eventually resolving into something else. She blinked, shivering. Vague memories of seeing infrared scenes from a movie surfaced in her mind, and she nodded to herself, trying to take the visual shift into account.

Seeing in a spectrum not normally visible to humans was disorienting, but she concentrated on getting used to it. The ships above her had warm/bright spots near the engines, slowly increasing in intensity as the massive propellers whirred to life. Her hearing had changed, too, so that the disturbances of the ships' sonar and the noise of the propellers of the ships that were already pulling out registered as a kind of audible static.

Her first thought was that it would interfere with her senses, but her second was that it was just another reminder of how far she was from human. She shook her head, trying to avoid the distraction of her other half, and his actions.

Time enough to deal with that later.

There were reavers beneath the bay, though she couldn't see them at the moment, or sense them, either. Probably hiding nearby. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sounds of the ships above, focusing on her other senses.

She could sense things better through Ran-oh-ki, but he was elsewhere at the moment. There was a vague ... tickling sensation at the edges of her perception, though. She drifted upwards slightly, not wanting to fight near the mud, which would might her vision. She might be able to hear them through the mud, but the risk was not likely to be worth it.

Still, Ran-oh-ki's sensors would be useful ... if her other half didn't need them to search for survivors.

As if summoned, two murky black shapes swam through the mud at the bottom of the bay and upward. Like sinister, hard-shelled squid. The things were _far_ too heavy to be able to swim, in Ranma's estimation, but they didn't seem to let that bother them.

She cracked her knuckles experimentally. She'd only ever fought reavers one-on-one before, excepting the one she and Yosho battled together. She'd also only ever won at a cost.

Time to win, she decided. Time to change the balance of war. The reavers had destroyed her life, and for that they would pay.

Summoning her blade proved to have an unexpected side effect as she shot towards the pair of reavers, ascending towards the ships hungrily. Not touching the blade, but in a swath wherever she passed it, bits of ice formed, floating upwards in her wake.

Glancing at the ships overhead, she grimaced. No hiryuu-shouten-ha, this time. There was too much potential to damage the fleet - and the survivors - above her.

XXX

Ryouga backpedaled, staring around at the scene in consternation. Ranma was there, hovering next to a number of cheerleaders, while a swath of fire burned in the street, a nearby car already ablaze from the conflagration.

Ranma shook his head, ignoring the girl who had called his name for the moment and pointing at Ryouga. "Ryouga! Mousse! You guys get ready." With that, he spun, facing the fire. The flames died down, revealing the pair of unscathed reavers.

Yosho dashed onto the field of battle, interposing himself between the girls and the monsters. "Stay back," he cautioned. "These things are very dangerous."

One of the girls - the one with an orange skirt and a long mane of golden hair - rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, we noticed that."

Ryouga snorted, drawing up and bracing himself at Ranma's left, while Mousse took the position on his right.

A girl that looked somewhat like Ukyou, wearing a green skirt, marched towards the other boy - the one who had called himself Ranma. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said warningly.

While he was curious to see what would happen between the two, the pair of reavers chose that moment to charge. There was an eerie dual humming sound, resonating from a few nearby points, but Ryouga didn't have time to look, instead bringing up his umbrella to deflect an errant claw. Mousse rolled to one side, lengths of chain exploding outward from him to tangle in the reaver's limbs, while Ranma simply shot straight up.

The reaver tripped, missing Ranma and Mousse, and not able to get through Ryouga's defenses, though he found his strength challenged by the monster as it barreled towards him. Mousse's chains had fouled it up, making the creature stumble.

Ranma descended on the fallen creature like the wrath of some angry martial arts god, in Ryouga's eyes, snarling and wielding a glowing blue bar of ... something. Whatever it was, it slammed into the reaver's carapace, and frost began to spread across it immediately, centered around the point of contact between Ranma's blade and the reaver. Blue-white motes of light exploded away from the center, turning into drops of ice, spreading their own frost where they fell.

Ryouga's jaw dropped and he stepped back, eyes wide. Mousse's eyes were wide also, and the cheerleaders were all simply frozen in place, mixed expressions of incredulity and fear evident more prevalently than any other emotion.

The girl with the red skirt, and long black hair said, "Um... I don't think he's on the same side as the monsters."

The reaver sank into the ground abruptly, leaving Mousse's chains lying on the street, and Ranma to rebound upward, seething. Ryouga had never seen Ranma to look so furious before in his entire life, and reflexively stepped backwards. Mousse did the same, both of them looking up towards the boy who had once been their chief rival with a newfound respect.

XXX

Yosho glanced briefly at Ranma, but trusted the boy to hold his own - he had backup from his friends, and they couldn't afford to just ignore one of the reavers. While Ranma squared off and prepared to attack, Yosho summoned his blade and shield. The second reaver hissed softly, barely audible over the burning car, and charged.

Diving towards the reaver, Yosho slid beneath it on his shield, stuck to his hand, but frictionless to the street. Swinging with his other hand, he scored a glancing blow to a leg, tripping himself to a roll after he passed beneath it, landing crouched on his feet. He grinned, leaping towards it while it turned, and lashed out to blind the creature before it could react.

His strike was true, but faster than he could react - faster than he thought the reavers _could_ move - it smashed a limb into him, striking not with the barbed point, but clubbing him. The crushing blow knocked the wind out of him, launching him across the street towards a building.

Dazedly, he thought of the idiocy of the situation. How had he allowed himself to be taken by surprise? He reoriented himself, preparing to recoil off the building, and shook his head. It wouldn't happen again. He struck the cement divider between two large windows squarely, bones and wooden slippers groaning under the strain, but holding, and launched himself back at the reaver, which had already turned away from him. A mistake, in Yosho's mind, and one he would make the reaver pay for as dearly as possible.

He was silent, giving no warning shout as he sailed through the air towards the creature, bracing his blade. His aim was true, and his blade drove through the hide, piercing it with a hideously loud crackling noise, and tearing a long, jagged gash deep into it before Yosho rolled free, narrowly evading another solid blow. He landed crouched in front of the girls, arms extended. The reaver before him struggled forward a step, thick yellow ichor spurting from its wound.

Unexpectedly, the thing shambled forward, a lumbering half step. Yosho grimaced, knowing that the wound he had gotten would plague him terribly enough as it was, but ignoring it for the time. Bruising, probably, possibly internally, but he knew from long experience that no bones were broken or cracked.

One of the boys with Ranma gave a loud shout, and Yosho whipped his head around to look. The more solidly built one, who Ranma had addressed as Ryouga, punched the still-burning car. It flipped, flying in a neat arc towards the reaver. The reaver ducked low, and Yosho raised his shield, dispelling his blade to extend its protection to the girls behind him. The car slammed into the reaver, striking near the long wound Yosho had left, and crumpled around a limb raised for self-defense.

The reaver's piercing claw ruptured the gas tank, coating the wound and the carapace near it in flaming gasoline. While fire and heat didn't affect reavers very well, the wound allowed the gasoline to enter its body, still burning. The hulking mass of metal that had once been a car was shrugged off, as the burning reaver gave a piercing shriek, sinking below the ground hurriedly.

Ryouga glanced around, confused, as the other boy - Mousse - began gathering up his chains, stuffing them into his robes with a few deft motions that spoke of years of practice. "I guess we won?" Ryouga ventured, turning to look at the girls.

Some of them probably older than mere girls, as Yosho looked. Not that it was important at the moment - battleground was not a place for people who weren't warriors. "I'm not so certain," Yosho cautioned, looking to Ranma for confirmation. Ranma crouched low to the ground, concentrating.

The boy looked up, his vibrantly blue eyes seeming almost luminous momentarily. "They're close by. I think they're preparing something." He grimaced sharply, clapping one hand to his shoulder as a narrow gash formed, bleeding for a heartbeat before his bodysuit sealed it. "I'm having a lot of trouble in the bay right now," he mumbled.

Yosho nodded, shifting the balance of power between shield and blade back. "Thank you, Ranma."

The boy claiming Ranma's name and the girl in the green skirt turned to look at Ranma. The boy frowned, commenting, "I thought your name was Tanma."

"Yeah," Ranma muttered. "Today. Yesterday, my name was Saotome Ranma, heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts." He grinned slightly, rising to his feet, and then further, floating above the ground. "It's my father's legacy, even if the name's not mine. He left me a scroll, earlier today, you know..." he trailed off thoughtfully, and glanced at Yosho.

Yosho nodded slowly, fishing the scroll Ranma had handed him out from his robes and examining it. He shrugged, stowing the scroll. "Well, Ranma, it looks like your father left you a scroll labeled 'Umisen-ken'. Is it important?"

Ranma glanced at the boy claiming his name. Clearing his throat, Ranma nodded. "I think so, Yosho. I think it might explain why this guy," he jerked his thumb at the other boy, "is claiming to be me."

Ryouga nodded, and a moment later, Mousse did as well. The bespectacled boy asked, "Who are you, really?"

Glancing worriedly at the girl in the green skirt, who had had hands on her hips and was frowning angrily, and then at the other cheerleaders, just staring in confusion, he admitted, "My name is Kumon Ryu."

Ranma snorted, shaking his head, "I should have known-"

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off suddenly by an angrily shouted, "Silence Glaive Surprise!"

XXX

Ranma threw herself into a barrel-roll as she approached the reavers, and they both spun away, leaving her to create a thin wall of spiraled ice in her wake, between the two. Catching herself, she flipped, arresting her momentum.

The creatures oriented themselves to face her. She wasn't certain, but suspected they were surprised to see her. She smirked, banishing her blades for the moment. It was tricky managing the situation, but her other half needed them more than she did. At least, he was in a better position to use them.

And sharing them with her other half would only make the battle more difficult. She struggled for a moment, not liking the balance, and eventually settled on summoning one blade - her other half could carry the other.

A moment of experimentation allowed her to reshape it into a jo, a good defensive weapon for dealing with the reavers when peripheral damage wasn't a worry for the moment. She'd just need to avoid making too much ice.

A battle plan formed in her mind quickly - she could ignore gravity, being underwater and being able to float anyway. The only worry was ice, but she could phase through that anyway. Okay, she thought to herself, time to get busy.

She flung herself in a sideways arc, ignoring up and down for a moment, as the reavers were oriented 'downward' at the moment. As long as they fought in a single plane, she'd have a bit of an advantage ... except for their adaptability.

With that thought in mind, she resolved to strike as decisively as possible. A few good hits might be all she would need. The reaver's claws were a blur as she wove between them, jamming the end of her jo into the point where one limb joined to the carapace.

Ice began to spread from the point of contact instantly, frozen seawater hardening into a shell encasing the joint, limiting the reaver's movement. Well, she thought, that changed things. The reaver seemed stunned, and its partner was still not in a position to react, so she swiftly struck the next joint, focusing more on cold than strength.

The bloom of ice was violent, and rapidly enveloped the reaver's joint.

Shrugging, Ranma shifted the weapon from pole to mere hand-width blade, and pressed it against the expanding ball of ice.

Displaced water surged around her, but she was phased, as the bloom of ice swelled, engulfing not just the one, but the other reaver, and then continued growing. Surprised, Ranma drifted back, releasing her blade and admiring her handiwork. That was quite impressive, she thought, watching the ice drift upward momentously, slowly picking up speed as it went.

XXX

"Commodore! There's a blip on sonar, coming up about seventy five meters astern."

Norris scowled at the man who had given the information to him. "More bad news," he muttered. "What is it?"

"Um, Sir ... it looks like ... ice."

The redheaded scientist who had claimed to be in charge of the Japanese civilian force chortled, "Ranma's a clever one when it comes to combat, and an absolute genius for adaptation." She nodded, arms crossed over her chest. "Not as much of a genius as me, of course," she added after a moment.

Norris simply stared, until another crewman rushed into the cabin, eyes wide and breathing heavily. "Sir!" he reported. "A large, um, block of ice has surfaced, eighty two meters astern by laser sight. It... It has one of the monsters stuck in it, and there's some girl standing on it."

Washuu's hand darted to her bracelet. "Ranma, levitate out of the way. You don't want to be at ground zero."

A moment later, a small effeminate voice sounded from Washuu's wrist, replying not in English, as Washuu had spoken, but in Japanese, "Okay, Washuu. I'll stay above them."

The crew looked at Norris expectantly. Swallowing, he nodded, giving the order he knew they wanted to hear. "Have the Maine proceed as planned. Order the Chancellorsville and the Cowpens to stand by - I want them on high alert. And someone get me Lieutenant Commander Patterson!"

The crew rapidly shifted from the downcast attitude that had plagued them since their retreat from America, to one ready for battle, calling out, "Aye-aye, Captain!"

A moment later, the communications link crackled to life, Patterson's voice asking, "Orders, Commodore?"

"Lieutenant Commander Patterson, you have permission to open fire on the reavers in the bay that are encased in ice."

"Aye, Commodore. Men, bring us about, prepare tubes one and four."

Norris nodded in approval and motioned with a hand gesture for the communications link to be terminated. For a long, breathless moment, there was absolute silence; the crews busy monitoring their instruments and control panels attentively. Washuu turned to the window, staring out at the harbor, even though it was too dark to see.

The seconds continued to tick away, the helmsman muffling a cough worriedly, as they waited for a status update. One of the officers spoke suddenly, "Torpedoes away, Commodore. They are proceeding on course, ETA in thirty-six seconds."

Grunting approval, Norris nodded again. Patterson should be able to manage his submarine just fine. The scientist pulled a small pair of spectacles from a pocket and continued watching the sea. Not, as Norris had learned, that she would be able to see anything that spectacular.

The seconds passed and the crewman grinned, looking up from his display. "Louisiana reports a hit, Commodore, our instruments confirm." A split-second later, a loud, 'crack' rang out through the air, the explosion echoing through the bay and through the still open door to the deck.

Washuu shook her head before the crew could celebrate, interrupting, "Sorry, the reavers survived, though you might have stunned them. They phased and dropped through the ice at the last moment."

Norris looked around at the crew, and they blinked, having no way to confirm what she had suggested. "Are you sure?" he asked weakly, hoping somehow she was wrong.

"No," Ranma's voice called from Washuu's bracelet. "They sure seem mad, though. They're heading towards the ship that fired at them."

Washuu shrugged helplessly, whispering, "Don't get cocky, Ranma."

The effeminate voice and a masculine one responded in tandem, "This time, we won't."

Norris sank into his seat, dejected. "What else can we do?" he whispered.

"Have faith in Ranma," Washuu suggested. "And pray."

XXX

Ranma gritted her teeth, shooting downward. The reavers had to be stopped, and the Americans had been unable to do it. That left it up to her.

Hair snapping behind her like fire, she dove, phasing through the sea again. The reavers were intent on ignoring her, this time heading straight towards the ship. She summoned her hand-blade again, suddenly remembering what had happened the first time she had faced off against a reaver.

The mouko takabisha. It might not compare to the ferocity of the hiryuu-shouten-ha, or have the pure force of Ryouko's attack with the little points of light, but it did interfere with their ability to phase.

That was the plan, then. Get into position, hit them both with a mouko takabisha, and freeze them again. If they were cold enough, the Americans' weapons might break them as easily as her own fists could once they were frozen. It was just a matter of accomplishing the task.

Teleporting in front of the reavers, she took her stance, drawing in her ki, and released it in a shuddering wave. Mouko takabisha, she thought, not verbalizing underwater. The sparking energy of her life essence flared, bright and golden, shooting out to slam into one of the reavers. The other swam wide, making Ranma wonder if, perhaps, they were afraid of it.

And they should be, she decided, gathering her energy. The second reaver was moving too fast; she'd need to get closer to it. She gathered her energy, preparing for another strike, when she remembered - too late - that she was ignoring the reaver behind her. Her body twisted to the side, changing a strike that might have severed her arm into a gash several inches deep.

Her other half took part of the injury away, and it lessened in severity, but it was still too close. Belatedly, she realized that she had allowed herself to be trapped between the two reavers. The situation was decidedly dangerous, she thought, trying to evade sixteen whipping and razor-sharp limbs.

XXX

Ranma wheeled, sensing the reaver rearing up behind him, and braced himself, preparing to leap out of the way. He couldn't afford to dodge far, though, that would entail leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

But the reaver paused for a moment. Dark, chaotic swirls of power bled around it, as though it were standing before a blast furnace of chaos, spattering the unused energy aside. It stood for a single moment longer before simply exploding, splattering acidic ichor across an invisible barrier of force behind it, and another, before Ranma.

His shield, he realized belatedly. "I didn't know I could do that," he mused, his control of the shield slipping away. As the larger chunks of the reaver's carapace collapsed, Ranma saw the young cheerleader - the one he had rescued first, lowering her polearm and smiling in satisfaction, Ran-oh-ki perched comfortably on her head.

That would have to be it, Ranma decided. "That was pretty good," he said aloud, wondering if he had perhaps abandoned martial arts cheerleading too quickly. The ability to throw fire around might have been nice, in the end, though he wasn't sure it would be worth having to wear a cheerleading outfit. No, he decided, glancing briefly at the green-skirted girl, when it came right down to it, he had enough problems trying to sort out honor and love, without adding more confusion to the situation.

The small girl with the polearm beamed at him, traipsing casually around the desiccated hulk of the reaver. "Thank you!" she exclaimed.

He nodded wordlessly as the crowd behind him remained silent, apparently stunned at the whole ordeal. Not that he could blame them, really. Ran-oh-ki's senses linked with his, showing him where the other reaver was hiding nearby - preparing to strike again, undoubtedly. "I didn't want to do this," Ranma grumbled. "I _really_ hope you guys don't get mad at me for this. Ran-oh-ki? I see those large rats on the car over there," he said, pointing to the one car left undamaged from the battle. "Go ahead and let go of the seal."

And even if he didn't need it, his other half would.

Ran-oh-ki keened a soft, unhappy, "Miyah," but nodded in aknowledgement. And then Ranma's world was swept away in a sea of confusion and terror.

XXX

Makoto stepped back a full step, staring at the strange boy in confusion. The real Ranma, she supposed, though it was hard to think of the name without instantly thinking of ... Ryu.

But whatever he was, he didn't seem to have any evil intent. Hotaru blinked, and the moon cats looked offended when he called them rats, but everyone bided their silence. Perhaps, she thought, because of the unreality of the situation. Maybe it was all some strange, odd dream, and they'd wake up with the problem gone ... but no, pinching herself hurt or wake her.

Venus stood, blinking in surprise, her chain dangling from her fingers limply. The rest of the senshi fared little better. Killing youma and the like was not traditionally so ... messy. And the crew standing near them, they seemed to simply take it in stride.

She eyed Ryu appraisingly. "Ryu?" she asked. "Why did you lie to me?"

Ryu looked around worriedly, then calmed himself, offering the same pleasant smile she remembered - the one that made her knees weak. "Mako-chan," he said smoothly, "I can explain _everything_. Now, why are you wearing that silly outfit?"

The older man with the sword snorted, pointing at Ranma. "You'd better," he warned, "unless you want to make him mad."

All attention returned to Ranma again, now crouched on all fours and growling low in his throat. He unleashed a single, loud yowl, then leapt straight into the ground, and ... disappeared.

Makoto scratched her head in confusion. "What the heck?" she asked.

The older man frowned, and his armaments vanished into the air. "I really wish he wouldn't do that," he muttered. "Well, I believe introductions are in order. I'm Masaki Yosho, and the lad who just went off to fight a reaver alone is the honorable Ranma, formerly of clan Saotome."

The strongly muscled boy with the umbrella and bandana sighed, stepping forward. "Right," he said uncertainly. "My name is Hibiki Ryouga..."

XXX

Washuu shivered suddenly, as a feeling of cold ... otherness ... swept through her. What was Ranma up to?

One of the crewmen suddenly shut straight up from his seat. "Commodore! Sonar's catching what looks like ice forming about twenty meters from the Louisiana!"

Norris raised an eyebrow. "Ice? Again? What's happening this time?"

"We're ... not really sure yet. It's very diffuse-" He fell silent, grabbing for his control console to steady himself as the ship gave an alarming lurch. "And it seems to be displacing a lot of water. I have Lieutenant Commander Patterson, Sir."

Norris's face was a mask of disbelief. "This is impossible. This is a cheesy sci-fi movie, not my life!"

Washuu shook her head, heart racing. "Ranma," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

XXX

"No," Terry said slowly. "That's very kind of you, but you don't have to sing for me."

"Are you sure, Bogard-san?" Eimi asked him yet again. "I know how to sing 'To be in Love', among other songs."

Terry shrugged. "I've never heard that," he said. "But I need to keep my ears open to make sure none of the monsters get up here. My job is to protect Nuku, after all."

Eimi was silent at that. "There are only three decryption cycles remaining, Bogard-san. Would you like to select a target?"

Terry shrugged again. "You know what we're after, don't you? The reavers. Just hit them, if you can."

A soft 'ping' noise sounded from the speakers. "Understood, Bogard-san, though Atsuko will have the final vote in control, initially."

Terry sighed, drumming his fingers across a deactivated terminal. "So," he asked, tired, "can you tell me where the reavers are?"

The views of Tokyo at night from far above suddenly vanished, to be replaced by a view of northern American continent. "Certainly," Eimi replied pleasantly. "I can deliver any collected information you require on the entities - this facility was redesigned to accommodate research on them."

"Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Can you tell me where they came from?"

A crosshairs appeared on the map of North America, scanning across it and locking on a point deep in the Rocky Mountains. The crosshairs expanded into a small square, which abruptly zoomed forward to show a more detailed view. The image continued to expand until the square occupied the entire screen.

The process repeated a number of times, until Terry was able to see a flat, featureless basin. Eimi's voice offered an explanation, "This basin is located near the base of Gannet Peak, in the United States province of Wyoming. This image was taken last night, while the sun was still up over the Americas."

"Gannet Peak?" Terry murmured, leaving his seat to approach the monitor and see it more clearly. "I've been to Wyoming." He shook his head. "I don't remember that mountain, but I think I know the area. They just crawled out of that hole, then?"

"No, Bogard-san." The image shifted, overlaid with a grainy black and white image, not a basin, but a short hill. "This image was taken some weeks before the first news of the 'reavers,' as you call them, reached us. We believe it's a research facility, though according to the U.S. military network, they were unaware of its existence." A few roads and small outbuildings lined the hillside, and a larger heli-pad sat atop it.

"Just like Area Fifty One," Terry grumbled.

"Oh, no. That's real, but vastly misunderstood. It's nothing more than a launch facility for secret and otherwise experimental aircraft. At least, it was. Would you like to see yesterday's image of the territory?"

Terry shrugged. "Why not?"

The scene shifted, both the color image of the basin and the grainy black and white fading away to be replaced by an expanse of yellow sand. "Well?" Terry asked after a moment. "Where is it? I don't see anything but desert."

"You are correct, Bogard-san. At this point, that is all that remains."

Terry shot a scowl at the screen. "Show me San Francisco," he ordered. "I have friends there."

The screen image shifted again, showing the Bay Area as he remembered it, only with far less greenery around the edges. It zoomed in on the peninsula. San Francisco. Where once a city had lain, there was nothing. Small piles of rubble, casting only the barest hints of shadow against the sun.

Terry's hand reached for the screen, trembling. "I can't believe it," he whispered. "It's... It's gone. The... The bridge. The buildings... *how*?"

Eimi was silent for an extended moment. "The final decryption cycle is complete." The image shifted to a picture of San Francisco, still intact, casting its shadows across the land. In time lapse, it showed the progress throughout a week. "It took a pair of reavers a full seven days to demolish the city, though I do not believe that they devoured as much as they could have. They seem to seek out the living before eating mineral, though it is known that they will eat nearly all the dead they create."

Terry shivered, feeling queasy at the thought. His friends... "Did anyone get away?"

The screen shifted again, moving towards the city's harbors as he watched building after building crumble in slow motion. Masses - throngs of people - swarmed onto the ships waiting in the harbor. Cargo, cruise, military... All kinds of ships would be filled and set sail, only to be replaced by another, but the flood of humanity never ended, not before the ships did.

Terry took a deep breath, screwing his eyes shut. How horrible it must have been, crowded up at the edge of the docks, waiting for a ship that would never come, with nothing but death awaiting you behind. Families separated, desperately hoping that they would be able to join again. It was all he could do to resist collapsing to the floor in tears.

He had known tragedy in his life; he had seen the women he loved die, one after another. But he could not imagine how horrible it would have been, to be there, surrounded by that, and with no way to fight back.

"Mae West was destroyed," Eimi explained, "but we were able to discern that the Americans named their fleet, 'The Last Hope', before they departed. It's not widely publicized, but several of the ships already in Tokyo Harbor arrived with the American military vessels."

Shaking his head, Terry rubbed at a faint moistness in his eyes. "That's enough," he said. "I've seen enough. Find the reavers nearest to us, and destroy them. Do it _now_."

The same soft 'ping' sounded, and the visual display zoomed out to a map of the entire planet. "This map is realtime, and we are currently tracking two hundred and fifty seven reavers. We suspect that there are more we cannot scan, and many are outside of our targeting range." The map zoomed in on Tokyo bay again, rushing in close enough to show a grainy image of a small crowd standing around the ruptured remnants of a reaver. "This is unexpected. It would appear as though this one was destroyed. However, I detect nearly a dozen more headed towards the same location, and one beneath this very tower. I cannot strike it without damaging myself."

Terry grinned wickedly. "Fine," he said. "Do what you can, I'll take care of the one here. If you get contacted by someone named Hakubi Washuu, try and help her out."

Eimi chirped softly, yet another 'ping' sounding. "Understood. Please take a communicator so that I can remain in contact with you, Bogard-san." A small light flashed, indicating the location of the communicators as the panel that had previously concealed them opened, and Terry grabbed one, looking at it. "The back opens, and you can pin it to your collar."

Nodding, Terry did just that, thinking it really looked like a coin-sized pin. "Now," he said, testing the small device, decorated with the logo of Mishima Heavy industries, "I'm ready to go."

"Affirmative," the communicator chirped in Eimi's voice.

He dashed down the stairs, preparing to meet with the enemy. He had a score to settle, after all.

XXX

Hotaru, winded from her use of both the Silence Glaive Surprise, and then the Silence Wall, sat on the curb while the boys made a round of introductions. The moon cats simply stared, unable to speak without giving away too much for the moment. Yosho seemed like a nice man, though Hotaru could tell he was worried about Ranma. The boys nodded skeptically to the senshi's explanations of who they were.

Ranma was interesting, she decided. Very interesting. She'd thrown more into the Silence Glaive Surprise than she had meant to, but he had blocked it somehow.

Hotaru felt a vague shiver down her spine, and turned to look at the still deserted street behind her. A reaver-sized segment of the street spontaneously exploded upwards, full of writhing reaver, and still being pursued by a yowling Ranma. The reaver reached the apex of its leap, probably a good fifteen meters above the ground, and fell backwards, but Ranma continued upwards, flashing blue claws carving a path before him. He hung for a moment, still in the air, above the mass of the body he had just tunneled through.

The reaver plummeted like a greasy comet, black legs waving limply behind it, trailed on all points by fluttering streamers of thick yellow ichor. Ranma landed gently on the street only a short distance away from the senshi, on all four limbs, and behind him, the reaver impacted in the crater with a moist-sounding, 'thump', a small fountain of ichor spraying upwards briefly to spatter against the street.

He sniffed disdainfully at the slain reaver, small wounds covering his body from the battle. Silence reigned, no one able to break it for the moment as everyone watched the boy-turned-beast.

Pluto chose that moment to show up, which Hotaru thought wasn't terribly bright. The senshi of time stepped through a portal in the middle of the street, shaking her head and grumbling. "What the _hell_ is going on here?" she exclaimed, staring at the boys in abject confusion.

Ranma growled low in his throat, and pounced. The green-haired woman had only enough time to turn around before she was driven to the ground by the boy. He sniffed at her mistrustfully and growled again, pinning her in place and sniffing her suspiciously.

Hotaru hid a small smile, almost enjoying the way Pluto's eyes bugged out at the sight of Ranma. "Eeep!" Pluto managed. "I thought I just _dealt_ with you- No, wait, the ears... Who _are_ you?"

Ranma growled again, and Hotaru called to him, "Ranma, leave her alone. Come here!"

At her voice, Ranma bounded over and paused, eyeing Ran-oh-ki. The creature gave out a put-upon sigh and jumped from Hotaru's lap. Seeing that his destination was clear, Ranma curled up into a small ball, resting his head on Hotaru's lap and purring quietly.

Dead silence rang out, while Pluto climbed to her feet and dusted herself off. Venus was the first to break the quiet. "That boy's got issues," she declared.

Hotaru smiled happily. Maybe he did, but she liked that. He was very interesting - and he had tried to protect her, too.

XXX

Washuu blinked, staring through her spectacles at the harbor. Small chunks of ice littered its surface liberally, as though someone had tried to make stew with the stuff, using the harbor as a great cauldron. The light amplification and zoom features of her spectacles allowed her to see that some of the icy bits contained chunks of the reavers that Ranma had torn apart, and more just solidified and frozen ichor.

"Wow," she mused, feeling the chill breeze waft in and rustle her hair. Ranma shivered, crouched as she was in Washuu's lap, like a great big redheaded kitten. "I did not see this coming."

Norris trembled, though Washuu wasn't certain if it was from anger, or fear. "Next time you kill a reaver," he asked, pointing towards where one wall of the bridge had been, "please ask her to avoid tearing apart my ship when she comes back?"

Washuu cocked her head to one side, raising an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Cologne snorted, having just reentered the bridge. "I see that Ranma's found a solution after all," she commented. "I think he should be congratulated on damage control, considering how much a mess he normally makes."

Norris paled and sat down in his chair, hard. "I'll be quiet," he mumbled.

XXX

"Um," Sailor Venus began, cocking her head as she looked at Pluto, "where were you? Weren't you supposed to be here?"

The senshi of time shook her head, drawing her attention away from the softly purring ... creature ... that Hotaru had managed to collect. Well, the rules on pets might have to be relaxed a bit, but if it were controllable, then she could worry about it later. "I'm sorry," Pluto grumbled. "I had to go back in time a few centuries to chase after an amateur and her pet half-demon. She thought she could re-arrange the time stream to prevent all this from happening without being aware of the side-effects."

Mercury raised an eyebrow at that. "What did you do?" she asked.

Pluto waved a hand dismissively. "After I subdued her pet, I explained to her that she couldn't change anything without me stopping her. I think _that_," she said, pointing at Ranma, "smelled the thing that I fought." She shook her head. "But I'm digressing. What the hell is going on here? Did that girl _already_ do some damage to the time stream?"

Shrugging philosophically, Mercury commented, "We'd have no way to tell. However, you said you would tell us the plan when you got here, and we'd defend the city. So what's your plan?"

Pluto nodded decisively. "That's fairly simple. We'll stay here and defend the city, protect everyone who's left..." At the blank stares she was receiving, she hung her head. "Damn that little girl! What did I miss?"

The oldest of the males interjected before anyone else could answer, "That's probably going to be something of a surprise to you... And it's probably just as well, anyway. My father wouldn't care to rescue a rebel faction, but I suspect my grandson will be far more lenient."

Pluto stared at the man in confusion. "'Rebel faction'?"

The man's smile widened. "Yes. I'm Masaki Yosho, former Emperor of Jurai."

"Jurai?"

"It's a long story; I'll explain it when we set out to sea. For the time being, however, my people have come and are in the process of evacuating the people of this planet. Most of the population of Tokyo was already evacuated via a small fleet of Juraian warships earlier today." He turned to Saturn, who was experimentally scratching the back of Ranma's ears. "Now, Saturn-san, if you could wake Ranma up, we should probably hurry back to the docks."

The girl nodded, pouting slightly. "Can you wake up, Ranma-san?" she asked sweetly.

The small furry creature at Saturn's side hopped onto Ranma's head and batted him with his paws. Ranma fell limp for a moment, then struggled to his feet - two feet, like a normal human. "Ugh," he groaned. "That didn't feel too good."

Yosho shook his head. "I don't imagine it would. Are you okay?"

Ranma waved a hand dismissively, scowling and hovering a short distance above the ground. A moment later, a redheaded female appeared at his side, dressed identically, save that the blue flare was on her left arm, where his was on his right. The two faded out of sight for a moment, and then it was only Ranma, with a blue flare encompassing each arm, instead of just one.

He flexed, and the blue flare faded from his left arm, leaving him with a small blue gem hanging from one ear. "I think I've had worse, Yosho. Did anything happen?" Yosho shrugged, but not before Saturn dropped her Glaive, jumping into Ranma's arms. He reflexively caught the girl and looked around, bewildered. "Huh?"

"You're my boyfriend now!" she exclaimed happily. Ranma's face spoke volumes of incredulity.

The boy standing near Jupiter's side muttered, "And I thought that _I_ had it rou- " The rest of his statement was cut off as Jupiter's elbow found its way into his gut.

Ranma shook his head, setting Saturn down and motioning for everyone to be silent. "Uh, say that again, Washuu?" he asked, holding one hand near the gem at his ear. The gem on his ear flickered, then slowly sparked green.

His eyes widened and he turned around to look behind him, Ran-oh-ki scrambling up onto his shoulder. At the far end of the street, barely visible in the distance, three reavers were scrambling towards them. "It just gets better and better," he remarked bitterly. "Do you have any _good_ news?"

XXX

Terry backpedaled from the base of the stairs, narrowly evading a massive claw, one that rent the door he had been unable to dent, and reduced it to gleaming scrap. "Oh," he muttered, "you want to play hardball, huh?"

He reached deep within himself, towards that rarely tapped reservoir of energy that he knew would let him win any battle. The reservoir of anger. Rage. And righteous fury.

Blue flames ignited about him, not merely a battle-aura, but hot enough to warp and melt the stairs beneath his feet. He was protected from his own power, as was the pin that Eimi asked him to wear. But the reaver was balked and skittered backwards, crashing through the piles of discarded computer pieces, junk food, and whatever else Durant had scattered about before he left.

He was more than just Terry. He was a _power_. One that would crush the reaver before him at any cost.

Screaming, he flung himself into the abyss, deeper into that reservoir of strength, and burst into a sudden leap towards the reaver, absently batting a massive, black, contusion covered limb out of the way. He landed a kick that cracked its carapace, knocking it back into the wall, and followed up with another carapace-cracking punch.

The reaver lashed out violently, and Terry was forced back to the defensive, trying to avoid four pair of slashing claws, finally simply grabbing one of the limbs roughly. The spines and contusions melted beneath the onslaught of the fire that surrounded him, and Terry simultaneously kicked out and yanked backwards, tearing the limb off. The reaver shrieked, a high-pitched, keening noise.

Bellowing out in rage, Terry's fist descended again, cracking the carapace a third time, finally opening it enough to cause the creature to bleed across the floor. He stepped back and spun, a violent roundhouse smashing open the carapace completely, tearing the creature's armor clean off, and removing the remaining three limbs on its left side. "Hah!" Terry shouted, staggering backwards, off balance.

But the thing was beyond fighting back, merely able to thrash about in its death throes and spurt acidic ichor across the room. Despite all that, Terry wasn't satisfied. Yelling again, he kicked the unarmored yellow membrane hidden beneath the thing's shell, tearing it easily and releasing the entirety of its innards to flow across the floor. One final, spastic twitch sent a limb slamming into Terry, knocking him free of the deluge of toxic ichor, to smash into the steel of the staircase. It conformed to his body, softened by the flames surrounding him.

Flames that flickered and died once the battle was over.

He coughed and tried to get up, but his chest refused to expand enough to give him a full breath of air, and the steel staircase was wrapped around him too tightly for him to move. His eyes flickered to the pool of acid, slowly flowing towards the tower. "I'm sorry, Eimi," he croaked. "I think I screwed up."

Her voice was clear across the communications pin on his collar. "Bogard-san, I am trying to contact someone to help you, but do not know when aid will arrive."

"It's okay," he said softly, pain slowly blossoming in his chest. "It's... This is what I wanted, Eimi. Don't you get it?"

"Get what, Bogard-san?" Eimi's voice sounded nervous, nearly on the verge of tears. Not, Terry thought, that that could be possible. She was just a computer, after all.

"I won," he managed, coughing weakly. "This time, I saved the girl. I think the Gods cursed me, but this time... This time I saved the girl."

"Bogard-san? What about Atsuko? How will she escape, now?"

Terry grimaced. "Use... Use the radio. Ask Ranma to come get her ... and tell him to hurry. I have to say something to him before it's too late."

"Understood, Bogard-san."

XXX

Ranma took a deep breath, Yosho moving to stand at his side. "This is going to be bad, isn't it?" Ranma asked the older man.

Yosho nodded gravely, watching the trio of reavers charge. "Yes, Ranma," he said softly. "Unless someone up there really likes us."

A squeal of static sounded briefly in Ranma's ear, and the gem picked up a transmission, a young feminine voice asking, "Is there a 'Ranma' on the radio, anywhere? I'm afraid that there's an urgent situation; please respond, over."

"Did I mention that it just keeps getting better?" he grumbled, one hand rising to the jewel on his ear. "Yes, this is Ranma. What's going on?"

"Ah, Ranma-san," the voice greeted him. "Bogard-san and Atsuko are with me and need your help."

"I'd love to help," he snapped, "but there's a small army of reavers here that's kinda going to be keeping me _busy_ for a while!"

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence, and Ranma thought that whoever he was speaking to had left. But she answered after a moment. "I will deal with them for you, Ranma-san. Please advise anyone with you to hurry to cover - the positronic laser array may have unknown localized side effects, over."

Ranma blinked as a brilliant spear of green fire lanced through the sky, tearing through the clouds hiding the stars and striking the lead reaver head on. Impossibly, a hundred meters away and more, it was smashed into the ground, twitching, while the line of green fire remained trained on it, until it exploded messily, with an easily audible 'pop'.

Jaw hanging, Ranma took a moment to collect himself. "Okay," he said, touching the gem. "I'll be right there, over." He dropped his hand and turned to Yosho, who looked equally stunned. "Yosho, Atsuko and Terry need me. Washuu's on an American ship called, 'Kitty Hawk'. I'll meet you back at the harbor; use the radio if you need me."

Yosho nodded, galvanized, and spun towards the still-frozen senshi and assembled martial artists. "Okay, everyone, by now probably half of the ships have already left. Let's go!"

Not wanting to face the possibility of being left behind, or worse, caught in the path of destruction from the heavens, they all wheeled and ran, Yosho just barely behind them, making sure none were abandoned. Ranma groaned, looking behind him. One way or another, the battle was a mixed success at best.

Shaking his head, he closed his eyes, teleporting back to the harbor, where the Kitty Hawk had been. The ship remained where it was when he had last been there, and he stumbled, catching himself. "Running low on energy," he muttered, glancing around. Where was the facility? He had gotten a glance at it on Washuu's terminal ... there. He nodded decisively, flying towards a large metal tower tucked away into a subtle corner of the harbor. "Okay," he said, touching the jewel, "I'm Ranma, so who are you?"

"My name is Eimi. I'm the computer that operates Mishima Heavy's positronic laser array. I'm monitoring it now, and they are nearly guaranteed to burn out of power within the next three hours. I'm firing the three on a rotating frequency to maximize their usable time, but I fear that when I am destroyed, they will become useless, over."

Ranma blinked, reaching the tower and phasing through it. He took a step back when he saw Nuku's body, suspended in a vat of green liquid, though whatever it was, was draining away. A voice - Eimi's voice, he decided - came from the speakers in the room's ceiling. "I'm curious to know how you did that, but don't have any time left, I'm afraid. Nuku will be ready to go in a few minutes; Bogard-san is at the bottom of the stairs."

Nodding dubiously, Ranma watched Nuku for a moment before heading for the stairs. "Terry?" he called out.

Hearing no reply, he sank through the stairwell, halting suddenly, eyes wide when he found the man. "Terry?" he asked, worried.

Terry's eyes were half-closed, his breathing was labored, and his chest was a bloodied ruin. The man was trapped in the devastated remnants of the staircase, but he smiled when he saw Ranma. "Ranma," he said weakly. "I hoped... I hoped I would see you ... before it was too late."

Ranma shook his head, testing the edges of the metal wrapped around Terry. "Don't talk," he insisted. "I'll get you out... Damn! If I could phase you through this... I can't teleport you while you're in here-" He realized he was babbling and shut himself up, working at the edge of the staircase, slowly, painfully slowly, bending it back.

"No, Ranma," Terry whispered. "Don't bother. I let... I let this happen to me. I'm ... tired. So very tired. I need to tell you something. It's very important. Are you ready?"

Ranma's hands slowly fell from the staircase, hanging limply at his side. He nodded slowly, choking back tears. It was just so unfair... He reached up slowly, removing the gem from his ear. "Yes," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm listening."

Terry's expression became stern, and he hissed in pain, before saying, "Ranma ... fight to protect what you love. Never... Never ever let yourself forget to love what you protect."

"I... I don't understand."

Terry smiled softly. "You will. Remember what I told you, Ranma. Never forget what I said."

"Fight to protect what you love. Never forget to love what you protect," he repeated solemnly. "But, Terry-"

"No," Terry overrode him. "It's time. I'm... I'm going to stay here, Ranma. My path... It's ended. Take care of your... Take care of Nuku..."

Swallowing tearfully, Ranma nodded. "I promise, Terry. I'll protect her..." Understanding suddenly blossomed. "Yes. I'll protect her forever, if I can help it, Terry."

Terry's breathing slowed, and his eyes began to drift shut. "I'm ... glad, Ranma... now go..."

Nodding, Ranma shot upwards, rising to the uppermost level of the tower. Nuku was outside of the glass cylinder, already dressed again, but on her knees. She breathed slowly. "Tired," she managed. "Nuku-Nuku is so tired..."

Ranma knelt near her, taking her hands in his. "Atsuko? It's... It's time to go."

She looked up at him, impossibly innocent eyes dim with sadness. "Where is Bogard-san?" she asked.

Ranma glanced towards the staircase, but couldn't find words for a long moment. "He's... He didn't make it, Atsuko. We have to go."

Drooping further, she nodded, barely able to climb to her feet and collapse into Ranma. He lifted her gently, the pair hovering over the ground. "Eimi?" he asked. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I ... think so, Ranma-san. An archive of all the command files to control the positronic laser array has been uploaded to Atsuko's memory, so that it may be used for defense. I cannot leave this place. I will continue to operate the positronic laser array as long as possible. Goodbye, Atsuko."

Nuku's face fell, and she sniffled, "Goodbye, Eimi-chan... Will I see you again?"

After an extended moment of silence, Eimi responded, "I will stay with Bogard-san for the time being. But, perhaps some day."

Ranma nodded, steeling himself, "Goodbye, Eimi. Okay, Atsuko, let's go." Concentrating, Ranma managed the strength for one final teleport to the deck of the Kitty Hawk before collapsing, too weak to move further.

XXX

"Bogard-san?"

Terry swam up through the layers of darkness that bore down on him. "Yes ... Eimi?"

"I'd like to sing a song for you. It's not the song that Kyusaka-sensei taught to me, but I think you will like it."

"Sure," he said, too tired to complain. "What's it...?

"It is called 'Sou Gan', Bogard-san."

"Terry. Name ... Terry."

"Very well, Terry." Eimi took two seconds to compose herself, and then her voice sounded, lyrical and sweet, not just one voice, but thanks to her synthesizers, a choir, nearly angelic in quality.

The music flowed through him, lifting his spirits. He knew he was dying. He had been asking for it, ever since the Armor of Mars. That he had finally managed to beat the odds, and be the one to die, rather than the one forced to survive was merely something that would allow him to perish happier.

An odd surge of momentary strength surged through him, and he smiled, ignoring the dried and caked blood flecking his lips. "Thank you, Eimi, that was beautiful."

"Thank you, Terry... I wish... I wish I could go with you."

"Got... Got enough women ... waitin' for me ... on the other ... side..." His eyes became heavier, the strength fleeting and leaving him sapped. It was soon, he was sure. Soon, he would fade away. He had never thought that death would be like that. "But ... you're ... welcome, too ... Eimi..."

And with that, his eyes drifted shut, one last time. "Thank you, Terry." Were those sobs he was hearing? But he couldn't be sure... "Thank you..."

XXX

Ranma lay on the deck, Nuku sprawled atop him. He groaned. "Okay," he managed. "I'm ... gonna get up... Gonna keep on fighting."

Nuku rolled off him, climbing to her knees, but no further. She managed half a nod.

A hand grasped Ranma's, helping him to his feet. "Come on, Ranma," a voice called out to him from the darkness. "You've had a long day. Why don't you get some rest?"

Ranma shook his head, peering through the dimness at Washuu. "Washuu? Uh... No, can't... Can't stop fighting."

"Yes," she reprimanded him, helping him walk along, "you can, and you will. I'll keep working on the problem, but _you_ will get some rest." He found himself sat on a bed, while he was dimly aware of Nuku having been maneuvered to sit next to him. How had he gotten there...?

"Now-" she cut herself off suddenly, stifling a powerful yawn. "Now, I'm going to inject you with something that will ensure you a restful sleep."

Ranma winced, feeling a prickling sensation in his arm. "But," he complained, feeling his strength drain. "Not ... fair..." Gathering what little strength he had, he reached forward, grabbing Washuu before he collapsed onto the bed.

"Ranma!" she yelped, pulled down on top of him, his hand on the back of her neck, and their faces close. "What are you doing?"

"Shiatsu," he mumbled. "Ghoul taught me. Used on Shampoo."

"What's shiatsu?" Washuu asked, not attempting to wrest herself free of Ranma's grip.

"Lotsa stuff," Ranma mumbled, finding the point he wanted, and jabbing it gently with his finger. Washuu collapsed atop him, asleep instantly. "That one ... makes you go to sleep..." he concluded, drifting off.


	7. Interlude One: Akane

Process of Elimination - Interlude One

Akane

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).  


* * *

She woke to the trill of a warning alarm and reflexively leapt out of the bed.

Or rather, she tried to. A pair of straps held her to the surface, thankfully sparing her a repeat of the previous day's experience. Shaking her head, the young woman reached down, tugging the straps upward. Velcro complained loudly as it separated, allowing her to slowly tumble free of the wall-mounted mattress.

The door hissed open softly as another young woman opened it, floating into the small room with a dispirited air. "Heya, Akane," she managed, yawning, and then coughing as a long stray hair was inhaled. "Damn ... stupid hair..."

"Morning, Ukyou," Akane responded, shutting off the alarm. Ukyou had been fairly lucky. All of the clothing she had packed was fairly sensible, almost all slacks, the tights she commonly wore, or snug shorts.

Akane had learned the problems involved in zero gravity fashion very quickly, and Shampoo hadn't gotten a chance to pack any clothing whatsoever, let alone something decent. Akane managed a wry grimace. "Put it up in a bun," she suggested, eyeing Ukyou's hair.

Ukyou nodded, already climbing into the small pallet and strapping herself in. "Tomorrow," she sighed.

Smirking, Akane shook her head. Her own selection of clothing had contained a jogging outfit and two sweat suits. The skirts were essentially useless. Between Ukyou and Akane, Shampoo managed to stay covered, but had a somewhat dour outlook on the entire ordeal.

The lights dimmed as Akane touched a wall panel, leaving the only illumination to be the faint light of the stars through the room's idle monitor, linked to the exterior of the ship's hull. Ukyou mumbled something appreciative as Akane opened the door.

Gleaming and polished corridors lined the whole of the ship from end to end. There was no new dirt to smudge them, and there was no gravity to allow dust to settle. Merely the soft and constant hum of the ship's systems as it cruised through space.

Akane took hold of a small rail and pulled herself upwards sharply. Without gravity, she sped across the hall, stifling a yawn. Shampoo was probably elsewhere - the crew in charge seemed to have no real problem finding things to keep people busy, though Akane had a firm suspicion that what they were doing was usually nothing more than pointless busywork. She paused before entering the main control area, looking at the stars through another of the many monitors scattered throughout the ship.

In the science fiction shows, the stars always streaked across the windows. Here, they merely hung, still and unwavering. "Bleah," she murmured.

She remembered quite clearly what had happened on Earth. She shuddered, thinking about it. Maybe the pointless busywork was a good thing, but...

There was some time before she had to show up, ostensibly to find something to eat, but rations were limited. They were three people where there should have been two.

The fact that half of the intended occupants had never made it, so that the vast majority of the ship's rooms were actually unoccupied helped, but the three shared a room anyway. None of them wanted to be alone after what they remembered. Their last sight on Earth, before Ranma had shoved them into the capsule that later dumped them into the ship, only moments before it escaped. And their last sight was him, alone, bleeding to death, and smiling despite that.

Her eyes shut, and she sighed, releasing the rail to float in the center of the corridor.

Ranma had seemed so happy, and his last words... "You owe me," he had said. "I gave up what I got for you, and you... You owe me bein' safe. So ... go."

She felt tears forming, and struggled to control herself. If only... If only she had gotten a chance to tell him, before he left; tell him that she loved him. Sniffling, she wiped at her eyes, taking hold of the rail and guiding herself forward. The door into the large spherical area that was the control center opened before she reached it.

The technicians and crew were all neatly uniformed, while the 'civilians' were simply attired in whatever clothing they could find. Shampoo was wearing a pair of Ukyou's slacks and one of Akane's sweatshirts. The purple-haired girl looked up from a console and smiled weakly at Akane, waving.

Akane nodded and took a seat near Shampoo. She made a face at the screen before her, glancing at the cued instructions on the screen. "More training," she grumbled, trying to find an emotion to fill the emptiness.

Shampoo sighed, shaking her head and studying the screen before her. "Shampoo understand," she said quietly. But they both understood that knowing how to control the various ship's systems could be important, as little as they enjoyed it. And it was better than the pointless tasks they often got assigned instead. "Akane thinking of Ranma."

And that was it, of course. "Yeah," she mumbled, hearing the faint chatter of others echo about the chamber. "How did you know?"

"Can tell," Shampoo said, stabbing at a button fiercely. She held her strength in check enough to avoid damaging it - important, considering how ultimately fragile the ship truly was. "Hard not to think of him."

Akane nodded, sighing. "Well, another day," she groused. "How long until we get there, again?"

"Forty three years, Akane. Unless someone find us first." Her voice was tired, but the question was old.

The shorter-haired girl sighed again, punching at the buttons next to her screen as it taught her the basics of stellar navigation. "Great," she grumbled. "That's just perfect."

Shampoo shrugged. "Never know," she mused. "Juu-rai might send someone to pick us up, first."

Akane rolled her eyes. She had expected, somehow, that space would be exciting, full of things to see. She had thought that they would pass by planets - she even had a camera packed for the occasion. Reality was far less exciting. The way the crew had explained it when she asked, there was a significant chance that they'd never see anything at all on the voyage, aside from the moon when they had left, and ... whatever awaited them when they arrived.

"Maybe," she said neutrally. Akane wasn't about to hold her breath.

The Amazon smirked, shaking her head. "Bad joke," she apologized. "Sorry."

It was easy to forgive. The three had learned to live with each other fairly quickly, considering the main source of their disconcert was... She let that thought die. "Have I ever told you that you were a good friend?" Akane asked suddenly.

Breaking away from her screen, Shampoo turned to stare at Akane in surprise. "Friend?" she asked, wondering.

Akane smiled brightly and nodded, nearly bouncing herself out of her seat. Grabbing onto the straps, she pulled herself back down and belted herself in. "Yes, Shampoo," she said, tightening some of the slack out of the restraint, "I think you are a friend. I wish I had thought so before..."

Shampoo smiled suddenly and waggled a finger at Akane. "Think about, less and less. Worry about this," she said, thumping Akane's console lightly with one palm. "Time help, until then, train, become strong. And..." The Amazon hesitated, then shook her head and turned back to her own console.

"And?" Akane prompted.

Frowning, and looking at Akane thoughtfully, Shampoo said, "Train, become strong, and ... never stop hoping."

Akane smiled, nodding, and turned to the console before her. Long hours of pointless work, yes, but it kept her busy. And she could still hope. "Thank you, Shampoo. I'll do that."

"If Ranma alive, he's mine," Shampoo warned softly.

"Hah!" Akane taunted Shampoo, "not if I get to him first!"

Shampoo giggled softly, and the two fell into a companionable silence, working together. 


	8. Chapter 06

Process of Elimination - Chapter Six

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

Additional tinting provided by: Kitty Films, and Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A. (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku). The easel is mine. That's all.

* * *

_ "Ginraii was founded as a gesture of respect to those of house Amatera, and nothing less. It's only because of Amatera's actions all those years ago that we've been able to rally what little support we have. When you consider that the current emperor carries some Amatera blood anyway, it makes our duty clear. How can we have supported Amatera in the past, and then ignore their successor now?"_

Laruma Genoh of Minor House Laruma, Chairman, Ginraii - Speech given in rally to Ginraii workers supporting Emperor Masaki Tenchi, 1999

XXX

A dry, hard wind gusted across the landscape. Ranma blinked, slowly frowning and looking around himself.

The land was arid, parched and cracked. Great chasms rent it wide, the ground flat above them, and nothing more than a chaotic jumble of stone spires and jagged rock fall within.

He surveyed the horizon, faint brown smudges of mountains in the distance. Behind him lay a small heap of head-sized stones, rising perhaps to his shoulders, some fifteen meters away.

Grunting, he walked to the edge of the nearest chasm, peering into it. Fifty meters wide, and beneath the warm sun the bottom was still obscured in darkness. What was illuminated was more of the serrated granite and basalt that lay scattered about, and nothing else.

"Well," he said aloud, more to break the stillness than from any hope of a response, "it's hot, but at least it's a dry heat."

No response came anyway, save the wind increasing its pace slightly, picking up stray grit and dust. The dust storm rose, and Ranma instinctively grabbed for his shirt to raise it as a shield from the worst of the airborne dirt.

Only to remember that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He grimaced, but looking down, found he actually was wearing a shirt. The white Chinese shirt and the blue pants he was most fond of.

Frowning, he pulled his sleeve across the lower half of his face and attempted to float upwards. Whatever mechanism allowed him to levitate failed, and he found himself standing in the dust, holding his sleeve across his face. "Great," he mumbled. "At least there'll be shade."

A soft, lyrical voice rang out, "Oh, how little you know... Indeed, there will be shade."

The wind increased, no longer content to merely pick up loose dirt, now grabbing the packed soil and prying it up to fling into the mess. Ranma spun, narrowing his eyes and crouching to better shield himself. "Who's there?" he tried to shout through the dust.

A violent burst of wind erupted around him in a circle, not touching him, but forming a solid sphere about him, whirring and silent, that pushed back the storm. He dropped his sleeve, coughing, and shook himself off, dislodging more grit. As he looked around, the storm increased to the point of blocking out all light and visibility. "Oh, this just sucks," he muttered sourly. "What the hell is going on here?"

Blasting a violent path through the maelstrom and halting only after it struck the spinning air around him, a corridor formed, clear of dust and debris. He looked up apprehensively, eyes tracking across the scoured earth and onward, to the small heap of head-sized stones. "Greetings," the soft voice said again. Not in the manner of someone who is gentle, but in the manner of someone who was afraid of breaking whoever it was they were speaking with.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking at the figure atop the small heap of stones. She was a woman, dressed in a black and green gown with a flowing white cape. Her hair was a solid dun color, save for a few streaks of orange bursting from a brass disk on her forehead. Her eyes were solid pits of deepest blue - so deep that they turned purple in the shadows of her well-defined eyebrows. Her pupils were elongated black slits, like a cat's, or Ryouko's.

Or his own.

She giggled, her eyes narrowing into little lines as she rocked with mirth. "I am the eldest of three sisters, child." Her giggles trailed off, and she gestured Ranma closer.

Frowning, he approached, noting that the corridor of air faded away behind him, sinking back into the storm. But there was an oasis of safety around the woman.

He stopped at the edge of the storm, which had risen in intensity until a low grinding noise penetrated the shield. Ranma swallowed nervously, asking, "So, uh, what's the deal, then?"

She leapt from the stones, drifting serenely down to the ground at Ranma's side. She eyed him appraisingly, walking around him in a small circle. The wind's protection expanded to allow her to do so, and he growled, turning to face her. "And what the hell is it with women walking around me like that, huh? What am I to you - a piece of meat, or something?" he snapped abruptly.

She ignored him until her circuit was complete, then hopped daintily back to her perch of stone. Cocking her head to one side, she said, "That is precisely what you are. Look at yourself, child! A pathetic creature of meat and bone. How can you compare to a perfect being such as I?"

Ranma dropped into a defensive stance. "So you wanna fight me, huh?"

Snorting disdainfully, the woman waved a gloved hand at him, the fingers tipped in spikes. "You could not stand before me. However, you are of ... some interest to me."

Grumbling, Ranma relaxed, shaking his head. "Yeah, what do you want? To kill me? I get that from time to time." His eyes narrowed suddenly. "You better not want to marry me," he warned. "That's just right out."

Lips curling in disgust, she pointed at him, and he fell, collapsing in a sudden fit of intense pain. Fire raced across his nerves, the sensation of the reavers' slashes rent him to pieces, cats clawed his eyes out, his vocal chords seized up, and his lungs failed, leaving him gasping for breath, lying on the ground and writhing until the pain suddenly vanished. Weak, he staggered back to his feet, shuddering.

Intact, though, his senses abruptly restored, jarred from the memories of the pain he had experienced. "Do not mock me," the woman admonished him.

He shook his head, growling, "What the hell is this?"

"This is my realm, child. My sisters' realms are different places. Let me show you their worlds." Her voice slowly faded, until he was only barely able to make out her words, and the whole of the world about them fell to nothingness.

When he returned to his senses again, he stood atop a hill, lushly carpeted in grass and small flowers. A stream burbled nearby, hidden in a small copse of leafy trees, spreading their green foliage to shade the loamy soil below. Small creatures fled from the sight of him to blink from the protection of small shrubs dotting the landscape.

He stared at his feet, ankle deep in the thick green flora. He ran a hand through the grass at his feet, confirming his speculations. His hands simply passed through it. If he were to step further forward, he would likely subject himself to the veritable meat-grinder of the sandstorm. Looking behind himself, he beheld the woman, still perched atop her rock pile. "Okay," he said slowly, "what is this supposed to mean to me? Y ou're not answering my questions."

The woman raised her hand, and the world shifted again, though he was able to avoid the disorientation from the first time as it changed to a world of darkness and light. There was a single point of light, and a single point of darkness, on a vast field of nothing.

Light poured from its point of origin, the single brightly glowing point, thick and flowing like honey to spread outward, slowly gathered into the point of darkness in swirling eddies and currents. "That," the woman said, indicating the light, "is the domain of my youngest sister. She does not concern me, for her realm will enter mine and be finished, in time. It is of little import."

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, "This area, this world of gray between light and dark... This is my sister's realm. She does not govern it as she should."

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked, confused.

Another gesture, and Ranma found himself on another hill. This time the landscape was not so burgeoning with life. The grass was taller, and large seedpods on the ends of some grass stalks broke free and drifted in the occasional breeze. Perhaps not grass, but something very similar to it. The forest was broken, bushes having climbed into and toppled some of the trees, while others had grown larger. There were fewer small animals, though Ranma glimpsed a bigger one, disappearing into a larger mound of fallen branches and twisting vines.

"Now," the woman explained, as though to a child, "you see two of the realms. It is quite simple." She waved a hand, and the scene returned to the barren wasteland. "There is life, growth, and then release."

Ranma scratched his head, then shrugged. "Okay," he said. "I guess. But why are you showing me this?"

"Because," the woman explained to him, "you are mine, to do with as I please."

Ranma opened his mouth, but his vocal chords seized, refusing to let him speak. He gaped wordlessly for a minute, then snapped his mouth shut and glowered.

"As it is, each is allowed only one knight ... and both of my sisters have chosen theirs. I hadn't deigned to - there is no need, for me. And yet, when they created you..." she trailed off, gesturing at Ranma.

He staggered to his knees, feeling his flesh slowly strip away, his insides shifting and warping.

"Hmm," she mused. "When they fashioned you they made a mistake. For each is allowed only one. And in making you, they created you for any of the three of us ... and that one shall be me." She waved a hand absently again. "Oh, your powers will emulate those of my youngest sister... They can manage that. But my blessing has yet to be bestowed. How many times, I wonder, will you grace my doorstep? Washuu has changed you. You cannot cross into my realm naturally, and this vexes me greatly."

She brooded for a moment, then shook her head. "Not that it matters."

The shifting and warping cut off, and Ranma fell forward, catching himself and heaving for breath. Clothed in his black skintight bodysuit again. "I ain't yours," he gasped, finding his voice returned.

"Oh?" the woman asked. "It is true that I cannot force your hand ... but consider this, child. Your world will perish under the onslaught of what is assaulting it. You may perish, as well." She grinned at that. "And if you do perish at my pets' hands, then you will be mine anyway. I do not think Washuu has changed you enough to avoid that. She shirks her duties, and I will call her to heel. As my servant, you will bring her to me."

Ranma shook his head, growling, and struggling to his feet. "Nothing doing," he stated. "I ain't gonna betray Washuu. If you think I am, well then, you can just go to hell!"

Dead silence ruled the wasteland, and the woman's face twitched with vexation. Intoning deeply and eyeing Ranma with nothing but contempt and disgust, she said, "Then your world will perish, and you will fall, and then you will be mine anyway. These were not requests. You are not given a choice in the matter."

XXX

Washuu stared at the gray steel of the ceiling above her. A lock of spiky black hair obscured most of it, but she could see faint sunlight from a porthole, illuminating the room faintly. She moved to rise, but found herself pinned.

Ranma lay tangled with her - and Nuku, somehow - on the captain's bed. She had asked for it for Ranma, and hadn't intended to stay herself. Her plans had included avoiding sleep to work on devices that could make a difference in the battle against the reavers. Not having Ranma pull her onto the bed and knock her out.

Had she been planning on it, she could have switched herself for a doll easily. But she had trusted Ranma.

"Lout," she grumbled. "Anything to get a woman to fall into bed with you, I bet."

"Nothing doing," he murmured in his sleep, his head pillowed on her chest. "I ain't gonna betray..." the rest was lost, muffled as he turned his head in his sleep.

Washuu winced. "Still loyal? I'm envious, Ranma. Whoever you end up with is going to be a lucky woman indeed. Now, will you wake up?"

"Nuh-uh," he mumbled, as Nuku flopped over in her sleep, her arm encircling Ranma and her fingertips touching against Washuu's ribcage.

"Okay," Washuu said sternly, "it's time to wake up, Ranma."

Nuku stretched a tiny bit, her fingertips wiggling ever so slightly, tickling Washuu's ribcage. "Whooo! Okay, come on, enough of, hehee! Stop that! Stop- Hehee! Nuku! Aaack!"

Ranma twitched once, then bolted upright so strongly that he wrenched himself free of Nuku and slammed into the ceiling with a resounding 'whang'. "Ung," he grunted, hanging in midair for a moment.

Washuu took advantage of the opportunity to roll free of the bed, still giggling like a schoolgirl. Nuku remained blissfully asleep until Washuu fell to the floor with the blankets. Rolling over, Nuku landed atop Washuu, the pair quickly becoming entangled in the sheets Washuu had accidentally pulled onto the floor with her.

Ranma sank slowly, eyes screwed shut as he scrubbed at the back of his head with his hand. "Oww..." He landed on the bed on his knees and shifted forms. Probably remembering that he could heal himself - herself, now - in the process.

The smallest of the redheads groaned, turning to look at the tangle of Washuu and Nuku, wrapped as they were in the blanket. Washuu struggled to free herself, grinning at the humor of the situation. "Good morning, Ranma! I was wondering when you'd wake up."

"Uh," Ranma commented succinctly, as Nuku yawned expansively, one hand reaching up from the floor. "What's going on here?" he asked, pointing towards the pair in their tangled heap.

"Your daughter tickled me in her sleep," Washuu giggled. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Nuku chose that moment to wake, and the first thing she saw was Ranma's outstretched hand as he dropped it. Washuu released a single shrill 'eep' as the girl lunged for the hand, pulling Ranma into the mass of cloth and confusion.

"Ack!"

"Ranma-papa-san! Good morning!"

XXX

Norris rubbed blearily at his eyes, having only gotten to sleep briefly when he had dozed in the command chair. He had loaned his room to the redheaded scientist when she had asked for a place to put Ranma. In truth, more room could have been found more easily elsewhere, but Norris had wanted to keep a careful eye on the group.

The smaller one was dangerous. He eyed the wall that had been torn open casually when the girl returned to the ship. Flying around, making glowing swords out of thin air, and tearing through battleship armor were not things to be bandied about casually.

Shaking his head, he rose. He commanded the battle group, he could let the captain manage the ship. Listening to a few last-minute informational updates, he walked towards his own rooms. It was already eight in the morning. Civilians or not, they should be awake, he decided. And even if they were civilians, work needed to be done. The trip to China would eventually end, and Norris hadn't been told what was there for them - save that Tokyo wasn't safe anymore.

Dawn had revealed a gray smudge on the horizon where Tokyo sat. Likely the entire city was razed, at that point. And knowing the reavers, no survivors. Perhaps a few people stayed behind, though if the whole fleet of ships that had passed overhead were any suggestion, hopefully none that hadn't wanted to do so.

Taking a moment to enjoy the fresh sea air and forget about the whole ordeal for a moment in the business of running the ship, Norris mentally prepared himself to open the door to his rooms, a thousand excuses prepared. But the bottom line was if Washuu were awake, he needed to talk to her.

The door opened at his touch, left unlocked, which he took as a good sign. "Good morning," he called out, struggling with the Japanese. "How are..." The rest of his words went unspoken, as he saw a trio of redheads in a pile on the floor, all of them peering at him in surprise. "Wrong room," he concluded, sealing the door and taking a step backwards.

"That was unexpected."

XXX

Ranma disentangled herself from the pile of Washuu and Nuku, simply phasing through the blanket to escape sooner. Shaking her head to clear it, she helped separate Nuku and Washuu. "Morning, Atsuko, Washuu," she said once everyone was free of the bedding.

Ran-oh-ki crawled out from under the pile of sheets, one paw wiping at his eyes, and gave a plaintive, "Miyah?"

Scooping up the creature, Ranma sighed. "The rat's hungry." The point was emphasized when the creature bit Ranma's ear sharply. "Ow!"

Washuu snorted, stretching her arms over her head, prompting Nuku to mimic her. "Don't worry about that too much, Ranma. He's going to be hungry until he gathers the mass he wants," the scientist assured him. She summoned her computer terminal and retrieved a hairbrush from a small pocket of dark space. "And thanks to a full night of restful sleep, I should be able to finish what I was supposed to start working on last night." She waved the hairbrush at Ranma in warning, saying, "I don't mind sleeping, Ranma, but I don't approve of what you did. You can't just put me to sleep because you think I need to rest."

Ranma raised an eyebrow in reply. "Oh?" she asked.

Washuu nodded knowingly. "Yes," she stated. "I'm perfectly capable of deciding when I should sleep."

Frowning, Nuku cocked her head to one side. "So it's okay for Washuu-mama-san to put Ranma-papa-san to sleep, but it's not okay for papa-san to put mama-san to sleep?"

Washuu's smile disappeared immediately. "Oh," she said in a small voice. "That's, um, true. Er... I suppose I had it coming to me, anyway." Wincing, she asked, "You're not upset with me, are you?"

Ranma hesitated, considering that for a long moment. In all truth, she couldn't have done more in the condition she was in last night than gotten herself hurt - maybe even killed. Not that she liked to think about it, but Terry's admonishment and final charge still rang in her ears. 'Always protect what you love, but never forget to love what you protect.' Well, maybe not love, but Washuu and Nuku were about the closest thing she had to family. She had to care for that, and that was probably what Terry meant more than anything.

"I guess," she said slowly, "that you were just trying to look out for me."

Washuu nodded, biting her lip and looking away.

"And, uh ... I was kinda trying to look out for you, too." Washuu smiled, shaking her head and holding back a quiet giggle. "So, uh ... I'm not mad, or anything like that. Um ... are you mad at me?"

"Ah, no, Ranma. I'm actually feeling a little foolish about the entire thing." She paused, frowning, then shook her head. "I'm sorry." Turning to Atsuko, she said, "We have a little time before we need to get to work. Let me brush your hair, Atsuko. You slept on it wrong, and it looks a little funny."

Atsuko nodded, beaming, and sat on the bed while Washuu began brushing the tangles away gently. Ranma blinked, noting that the scientist's own hair was a matted mess . "You know," she warned, "you slept on your hair wrong, too. It looks pretty bad."

Washuu stuck her tongue out at Ranma. "_You_ slept on my hair wrong, Ranma."

Ranma blushed and ducked her head. "Er ... yeah. Um, I'll be around, if you need me."

The scientist nodded, absorbed in the task of trying to brush out the odd looking spike of hair atop Nuku's head. "I'll tame you yet," she muttered quietly. Raising her voice, she added, "Okay, Ranma. Try and relax, for today. I don't think we're in danger, and you've hardly had a moment to rest since..." She trailed off, glancing at Ranma.

She nodded, waving a hand in a dismissive manner. "I got it. Just relax. Maybe find something to eat." With that, she exited, walking through the door, and past Norris. She shot a sidelong glance at the man, who was mumbling softly about something too quietly for the translator to pick up. "Oh," she said, "if you need to talk to Washuu, she should be done in a few minutes."

Norris nodded thankfully, leaning against the nearest wall.

XXX

Yosho woke shortly after dawn, his body protesting less upon rising than it had when he had gone to rest. He blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced around the area he had drifted off in. Mousse and Ryouga were resting against the wall opposite him. Mousse was already stretching and yawning, and Ryouga was still snoring softly, with his dog resting her head in his lap.

They had taken refuge aboard one of the last ships to set out, separated from Ranma as they were. He had said to board the Kitty Hawk, but the crewmen wouldn't let anyone else board, and they were forced to fall back on another ship. It was a cargo ship, originally, though most of the cargo was dumped overboard to make room for people.

The end result was that the three of them, along with some other people the self-proclaimed 'senshi' had awaiting them were all crowded into a freight container, devoid of cargo, with the door propped open enough to allow airflow. The young ladies were especially distraught over the affair, explaining that they had secret identities to maintain.

Yosho was not impressed.

Eventually, they had agreed to share quarters, though they looked to obviously resent the fact.

Yosho rose, stretching, and Mousse joined him, rubbing at his back and wincing. "Not used to sleeping in quarters like this?" the man asked.

The boy nodded, following Yosho outside, where the cold wind blasted at them. Mousse didn't react, though soft mumbling rose from within the compartment until the door was mostly shut again. Shading his eyes with one hand, Yosho stared at the horizon.

Mousse answered after a moment, producing a toothbrush and a small bottle of water from his robes, "No... I have a futon in the nekohanten. I sleep in the storeroom when I'm not locked in a cage."

Yosho turned to look at the boy, raising his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

He waved a hand dismissively, making a face and beginning to brush his teeth. "It'ph nah imporan," he said around his toothbrush. Frowning, Yosho fell silent, looking around at the other ships.

Their own vessel was near the rear of the armada, the two American warships in the lead, and the submarines behind. The carrier was near the center, easily standing out among the freight and cruise ships attending it. And that was where Ranma was. The shore, if it were in sight, was hidden from him by the bulk of the ship itself.

Ryouga blearily stumbled out next, his pack held loosely in one hand. He waved weakly to Yosho and Mousse, who nodded in return, and dug through his pack until he was able to produce his own toothbrush. Yosho sighed and asked, "Either of you boys have a spare?"

They both nodded, producing a toothbrush for him, and then looked at each other with a shrug. "It always pays to be prepared," Yosho murmured, "but all I have is Ranma's scroll." Accepting Mousse's offered spare, Yosho nodded his thanks, then borrowing some toothpaste as well. "You must have everything in there," he commented as Mousse stowed the tube back in his robes.

"Yeph," the bespectacled boy replied around his toothbrush again. He spat over the railing, then gargled with the bottled water he had prepared earlier. He leaned forward to spit again, but paused and swallowed instead, grumbling, "'Waste not, want not'."

Yosho frowned, considering his words as Ryu emerged from the compartment they had shared, his own toothbrush already in hand. "Well," Yosho mused, spitting over the railing into the sea, "I guess everyone but me planned ahead."

Ryouga took a swig from a canteen before passing it to Yosho, nodding. "Live your life on the road," the boy commented after swallowing, "and you get used to it."

Ryu grunted what was likely agreement as Yosho sipped cautiously from the canteen, then did as Ryouga and Mousse had. Carefully resealing the canteen, he frowned, looking around. "Well," he said quietly, "I don't want to alarm people, but our departure was fairly rushed. I don't think many people were able to prepare certain necessities. Food, water, anything else. We're not going to have a chance to restock on anything, either." He paused, considering, and glanced at the sea. "Actually, we might be able to get something edible out of the sea, but we still have a problem with water."

The three boys nodded in agreement as Ryu took his turn spitting over the railing. He didn't need to be warned as he sipped from his own canteen and swallowed, rather than spitting again. "Don't know what to do about any of that," he commented. "But then, I don't even know where the hell we're going."

"China," Mousse said softly. "We're going to China. My people's tribe is there. I know how to live off the land, even moving. Finding fresh water and food enough for myself and a few others is something nearly any martial artist can accomplish. But all of these people?"

Ryouga shook his head, saying, "I could find things to eat, and places to drink on land, but not here."

Yosho sighed. "As much as I dislike depending on her," the man grumbled, "we should ask Washuu for help."

"How are we going to do that?" Ryouga asked.

Smirking, Yosho patted the radio at his side. "Getting into contact with her should be simple. Actually getting things she might need, though, that could be tricky. And moving them from ship to ship won't be easy, either."

"I can make water," a voice said timidly, as one of the girls emerged, the others behind her blearily climbing to their feet and rifling through the pile of bags that had awaited them at the docks. The shorter blonde had prepared for the event, apparently, and even Yosho had been enlisted to help carry the massive pile of bags aboard.

There were still more faces inside, presumably sleeping, that he'd not put names to, yet. They'd named themselves after planets, for the most part. "Mercury?" he asked, guessing. The girl nodded, no longer wearing the cheerleader uniform of the night before, and now dressed casually in a long blue skirt and white blouse with a beige vest.

"Yes," she said, meeting Yosho's gaze. "But I don't know where I would put it yet - it's not exactly convenient to do. Still, if it would help us, it could be worthwhile."

Yosho nodded. "Anything to help. What's your real name, anyway?"

Ryu, Ryouga, and Mousse all perked attentively, curious. Ryu had already known of - and exposed - Makoto's identity, but the rest were all still unknown. The girl hesitated for a moment, then admitted, "It would be rather unfair for us to hide our identities when you reveal your own. My name is Mizuno Ami." She bowed politely to the quartet of warriors, and Yosho returned the gesture.

"It should be interesting," he mused, "to work with rebels as allies."

The green-haired woman that Ranma had pounced on the night before stepped out of the compartment, behind Ami, arms crossed over her chest. "What do you mean by 'rebels'?" she asked irritably.

Yosho frowned thoughtfully, then glanced at the Kitty Hawk and nodded. "Ah," he said. "This may take a while to explain, so everyone get comfortable."

The girls pushed duffels and backpacks into position as makeshift pillows, allowing Yosho to get a good look at them. The cargo space was dim, but someone thought to place a small battery-powered lamp in the center of the space, while Ryouga and Mousse latched the doors open to their fullest extent. Yosho took a seat before the door and sighed, looking at the group.

Not a one of them retained their uniforms, all of them instead electing to wear casual clothing. A sickly looking man that had awaited them along with the blonde the night before was propped up against a wall, rocking back and forth dizzily. "Are you alright?" he asked, worried.

The man smiled weakly, struggling for a moment before he said, "I've been better, but there's nothing that we can do, yet." Another man, this one with short blond hair, stood protectively nearby. The only two men in the lot, unless Ryu was with them, but by Yosho's guess, Ryu wasn't exactly in their best graces, either.

Yosho frowned, but nodded. "I see," he said dubiously. "Well, I'll tell you the story as it was told to me, by Juraian historians...

"A great many years ago, when colonists were more common, and more than just nobles and royalty were allowed to possess the Ouke-no-Ki, there was a dissident faction among the five royal families."

"What were the 'Ouke-no-ki', Masaki-san?" Ami asked, interrupting.

"The royal tree-ships of Jurai. Now, the royal families are Amaki, Kamiki, Masaki and Tatsuki, today. However, before they left to found a new government based on freedom somewhere else, there was a fifth family, named 'Amatera'."

Ami interrupted, frowning, "Do you mean to say, 'Amaterasu', Masaki-san?"

Yosho coughed delicately, nodding. "Close. But allow me to continue."

Flushing, Ami fell silent, bowing her head. "Apologies," she murmured, smiling guiltily.

"The fifth royal family left because they were not granted what they wanted - favor from the Goddess of Jurai. All of the other families had been blessed individually by the Goddess of Jurai, Tsunami, at some point. But the Amatera family had not been. Because of this, when the Council convened, their votes were given less weight, and they considered this to be unjust."

Yosho trailed off for a moment, thoughtful, while the listeners watched him with a mixture of interest and skepticism.

"Which, to be fair, was true. The Council is not perfect in any sense. However, when the last direct successor was killed in a battle on the edges of the galaxy, the current ruling family was left without a direct line to the throne.

"After this, of course, the five families contended over who would get to rule, though Amaki had the best chances, since the last emperor was from their line. When the Council convened to elect a new emperor, clan Amaki and Masaki tied.

"All of this was ignoring clan Amatera's vote. They voted in favor of Masaki, but Amaki contended that they had no right to vote, because they were not favored by Tsunami, as the other clans were. Amatera was left without recourse, because Masaki and Tatsuki were united in claiming that the vote of Amatera was valid ... and Amaki and Kamiki were united in denying their vote.

"Enraged, the leader of clan Amatera, Omiki Amatera, vowed that she would leave, and find a territory that allowed her to create a kingdom where her people would be given respect, and all would be equal. Shunning Juraian tradition, they gave their Ouke-no-ki to the lowest of all Juraian houses, one beneath the second-class citizenry - the Laruma clan.

"The Laruma, in gratitude to the Amatera, founded an agency to transport people in need to safety, while the Amatera crafted new ships out of crystal, planning to move beyond the reach of Jurai. However, they ended up settling somewhere else, instead. They ended up, after hundreds of years in suspended animation, arriving at a small colony planet that Jurai had all but forgotten. Colonial planet 0-315, or, as we like to call it, Earth."

Yosho nodded to himself, while his audience blinked, stunned. "So," Ami began, confused, "you're saying that we're all descended from aliens?"

"Yes," Yosho said. "Except, we're not really that alien, if we're all the same, are we? And my understanding on the event is that 'Amatera Omiki' was corrupted into 'Amaterasu Omi-kami'. Since clan Amatera shunned traditional Juraian power while they were preparing to evacuate, we assumed that she used some other method to tap into a different power. Is this true?"

Ami nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "This explains much," she said. "If it's true, that is."

Yosho snorted, shrugging. "You can ask any Laruma you see, they know the story better than anyone. They established Ginraii, the 'Silver Journey' to commemorate the kindness they were given by the Amatera. However, because of their actions, the rest of the Juraian nobility declared the Amatera to be rebels, and unwelcome in Juraian society. Perhaps in truth, merely dissident, but history labels them as rebels anyway."

The green-haired woman whom Ranma had pounced on frowned. "That's not the way I remember it being told," she grumbled.

"No? What do you know of?"

"We've seen one of your 'Ouke-no-ki' before, and it carried two people within it who were nothing more than enemies to us."

Yosho's eyebrow rose. "Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes. The 'Doom Tree' is a better name for it," the woman spat. "They wanted nothing more than to kill us!"

For a long moment, Yosho said nothing, pondering, then shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "But Funaho never sensed any other Juraian ships approaching before Ayeka's Ryu-oh. Whatever you saw couldn't have been a Juraian ship."

"Actually," Ami interjected, "that tree looked nothing like the ships we saw yesterday. There might not be a relationship between the two."

Shrugging, Yosho climbed to his feet. "Who's to say?" He paused, considering, then noted, "Tsunami would remember it, of course. If we see her again, we could ask."

"Who's Tsunami?" the green-haired woman asked, her frown lessening.

Yosho sighed, waving off-handedly as he stepped out the door. "The Goddess of Jurai, as I said before. Now, I'd love to chat later, but I need to find Washuu and Ranma."

Another voice piped up, crying out, "I want to see Ranma-san, too!"

Pausing at the threshold of the compartment, as Mousse and Ryouga joined him wordlessly, Yosho shrugged. "If you want to go see him, you had better stick with me, then."

Ryu grumbled, glancing at Makoto, then approaching Yosho. "I want the Umisen-ken," he muttered. "And I guess you're probably not going to just give it to me, are you?"

"No," Yosho said flatly.

"What if I challenge you for it?" Ryu asked cautiously.

Yosho quirked an eyebrow at that, dryly commenting, "I think not."

XXX

Ryu followed behind the older man pensively.

It was fate, he decided. Fate that had led him to the scroll that he was told would let him build a school.

The years spent mastering the Yamasen-ken to the exclusion of his own school, and then the subsequent years spent searching for the Umisen-ken would pay off.

It galled him to no end that they wouldn't let him have it. It belonged to Ranma. The real Ranma, he supposed, though the idea didn't let him feel much aside from dread and worry.

Yosho walked onward, his wooden sandals clicking against the steel deck as he moved, trailed closely by Ranma's friends. Mousse, the half-blind Chinese-boy, and Ryouga, who had been strong enough to hurl a flaming car at one of the monsters. That kind of strength was respectable.

Ryu wasn't sure he was as strong physically, but had confidence in his skills. His art. His school.

And that was stolen.

He pushed that thought away.

There was the additional problem, however, of Makoto.

He had no idea what to make of the girl, and what had begun for him as a simple fling to while away the time long ago was now something that was apparently very important to her. His brows furrowed, trying to sort things out.

First things first, he needed the Umisen-ken, even if he wouldn't have the opportunity to actually build a school until after all of the monsters were killed. And then he needed to figure out how to resolve things with Makoto.

As if summoned by his thoughts, she grabbed his arm, hauling him back a half step. "Eh?" he managed.

She smirked, shaking her head and hanging onto him. "You aren't going anywhere without me now, Ra..." She trailed off grimacing, then corrected herself, "Ryu-chan."

Sulking, he continued onward, his thoughts again turning to Ranma and the scroll. Yosho stopped suddenly as they reached the bow of the ship, and frowned thoughtfully, scanning the nearby vessels. Ryu blinked, looking around himself.

A few cargo ships like their own drifted nearby, accompanied by an occasional fishing trawler, and the large pair of American ships followed behind, like a pair of sheepdogs managing the herd. Ryu looked forward, less cargo ships and more passenger ships, and in the middle of it all, the massive American aircraft carrier.

Yosho rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyeing the ship, which Ryu guessed to be almost a kilometer and a half away. "Well," the man mused, "now we just have to figure out a way to get there."

Leaning forward with his hands on the railing, Mousse peered into the waters below. "I have a way to get there," he said uncertainly. "But I can't bring anyone else with me."

Cocking his head to one side, Yosho frowned. "How would you get there?"

Mousse grinned, nodding, and quickly stripped off his robe, letting it fall to the deck with an oddly heavy and metallic sounding 'clang'. "Just watch!" he said, vaulting over the railing to plummet towards the sea.

Yosho made to grab him, but too slowly, and the Chinese boy sailed clear, splashing in the water briefly. Ryouga restrained the man before he could leap after, smirking. "Just look," the bandana-wearing boy said, pointing into the sea.

Ryu peered over the deck to look, and where Mousse had been, a duck floated, shaking its head to clear it before winging upward, and then towards the carrier.

There was a long moment of silence before Ryu finally asked, "Did he just turn into a duck?"

Ryouga nodded pensively. "It's a jusenkyou curse," he explained. "Cold water triggers it, and hot water will reverse it."

Yosho shook himself, sudden understanding dawning in his eyes. He stooped, gathering up Mousse's discarded robes. "That might explain a thing or two," the man mumbled as he straightened up again.

XXX

Ranma walked about between the tents pensively. Either her clothing or something else about her attracted the stares of numerous refugees, and the vast majority of them simply gawked at her as she walked from the room she had stayed in towards the front end of the ship.

A flutter of wings distracted her, and she looked upwards, smiling softly. "Yo, Mousse," she called out, drifting upward and stretching one arm out. "What's up?"

The duck flapped to a halt and landed clumsily on her hand, stumbling. Ranma caught it with her other hand and chuckled wryly while Mousse shot her an annoyed glance. "Hot water?" Ranma asked.

Mousse nodded.

Holding back her laughter, she sunk back to the deck of the ship, where the refugees cowered away, awed and fearful. The mood dampened her spirits instantly, leaving her to sigh, still carrying the cursed boy-turned-duck. Mousse allowed a single inquisitive, "Quack?"

Ranma snorted. "Nothing," she assured him. "Let's get you to Washuu. I was kind of worried about you, but Washuu said I needed to sleep after last night." The duck bobbed its head once, as Ranma wended her way back through the tents and towards the door she had emerged from earlier. Norris's room, she supposed, though the man seemed to not begrudge giving it up for Ranma and Nuku's use.

Mousse remained still and quiet, allowing Ranma to carry him all the way to the room without further noise.

When the door opened, Nuku pounced on Ranma immediately, leaving Mousse to flap a few times before he could land on the bed and look at Ranma in irritation, sprawled beneath the excited girl as she hugged Ranma. "Ranma-papa-san!" she exclaimed happily, nuzzling against his neck. "You came back!"

"Uh ... yeah," she said dazedly. "Can I get up now?"

The girl nodded happily, bouncing to her feet.

Ranma frowned at her thoughtfully, belatedly shifting back to his male form. If Nuku noticed, she didn't react. Mousse quacked for attention once, and Ranma snapped his fingers. "Hot water. Atsuko, where's Washuu?"

Nuku pointed to a small door near the back of the room wordlessly. Nodding, Ranma strode to it, phasing through it without effort. Through the door lay a small washroom, though all Ranma was able to make out at the moment was a nearly blinding haze of steam, and a large reddish blur that he took to be Washuu's hair. The woman hummed something softly, and Ranma carefully stepped backwards, phasing through the door again.

Cocking her head to one side Nuku asked, "What's wrong?"

Ranma coughed once, feeling his face heat up. "Nothing," he muttered. "It's, uh, going to be a while before I can get hot water for you, Mousse."

The duck paused, considering, then nodded in understanding, while Nuku peered at it curiously. "Ranma-papa-san?"

"Yeah?"

The girl scratched her head, instantly undoing the work Washuu had put into brushing her hair, and asked, "What's this?"

Ranma flopped onto the bed tiredly, shrugging. "Just a friend, Nuku." He snapped his fingers suddenly. "You know what? Keep him company for a minute - I gotta grab some clothes for him."

XXX

Returning to the quarters after tracking down Norris and borrowing some casual clothing in Mousse's approximate size, Ranma arrived in time to meet Washuu as she stepped out of the washroom. She stepped through the door, toweling her hair dry and humming contentedly.

He spent a moment wondering where she had come up with her changed clothing - khaki shorts and a fresh shirt - but dismissed the thought as unimportant. She smiled warmly at Ranma, asking, "Back so soon?"

Pointing towards the duck, he explained, "Just need some hot water for Mousse."

Nuku had slowly climbed onto the bed, crouched on all fours, and was staring at the duck closely, while Mousse slowly edged away. Nuku fell backwards and rolled to a sitting position. "Papa-san, will you play with me?" she asked plaintively.

"Uh, yeah, later," he said distractedly, gathering the clothes he had grabbed for Mousse and stepping towards the washroom. The duck followed him closely, while Washuu just stared after them in confusion.

After tossing the clothing atop a small rack on the wall, Ranma started the hot water running and stepped out to allow Mousse privacy. Washuu frowned at Nuku, eyeing the spike of wild hair that refused to be tamed. "Well, Ranma, I've got a lot of things to do today, so I expect you won't see much of me. My genius is needed elsewhere, after all... If you need me, though, you..." She trailed off, frowning, and tapped the blue jewel hanging at Ranma's ear. "Just tap it and talk to me if you need me," she said. "I won't listen in on you."

Ranma shrugged, turning to look at Nuku, who was watching him curiously. "Okay," he said. It was better than anything else he could say. He felt like spending time alone, or better, fighting, and not thinking about things. Even if Ryouga could be found for a duel, or Mousse agreed, he couldn't work out his aggressions without possibly damaging the ship, or worse ... them.

As if on cue, Mousse stepped out of the washroom, stray wisps of steam trailing him as he adjusted his glasses. "Thank you," he said carefully, bowing to Washuu, and then again towards Ranma.

Washuu blinked in surprise. "Where did you come from?" she asked, frowning.

Mousse winced. "That is a story that might take some time to tell. Yosho-san asked me to speak with you - he and ... a group of people he called 'rebels' are on a ship behind us at the moment. He needs to get here, and has no way to do so at the moment." He licked his lips nervously, glancing at Ranma, and hastily amended, "If you don't mind, that is, Washuu-san."

The redheaded scientist nodded thoughtfully. "Well I could build a-" She cut herself off sharply and frowned again. "Bah! I need to get to work. I'll ask Norris if he can have Yosho and whoever else he needs brought over." She shook her head, turning to the doorway. "I need to find out what kind of lab these people can give me to work with," she said glumly.

Ranma sighed, shaking his head. "I guess you got things covered," he said. "Atsuko? What did you want to play, anyway?"

The girl jumped up excitedly and attempted to tackle Ranma. He braced himself, catching her as she violently tried to cuddle with him. "Tag!" she exclaimed loudly before exploding away from him and out the door. "Try and catch me!" her voice lingered.

Ranma snorted, smiling. Well, maybe it wasn't a fight, but it might be good enough.

Glancing briefly at Washuu, who nodded in approval, he darted after the girl. "I'll get you!" he warned, catching a glimpse of her hair as she bounded around a corner.

XXX

Ryu sat near Yosho, pondering. "Okay," he said, speaking over the out-board motor of the boat that had been sent to pick them up, "so tell me, what exactly _is_ Ranma?"

The man eyed him for a second before answering, his tone cutting through the engine-noise without rising above it, "He's a Terran."

"What? You mean like you or me?"

Yosho snorted, shaking his head. "Why do you want to know?"

"Uh," Ryu started, finding himself at a loss. "Just curious," he covered lamely.

Yosho shook his head at Ryu, frowning as they drew closer to the Kitty Hawk. "Ranma's his own person, Ryu. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave it at that."

XXX

Bouncing on her heels, flinging upwards in a short arc, Nuku expertly hopped over a tent and crouched after landing, peering about her. "Ranma can't find me!" she giggled, moments before he shouted out.

"Ah! Got you, Atsuko!"

Giggling again, she leapt, evading Ranma's clumsy attempt at a tackle. He smiled, not really feeling it. But he could make her happy, and it was pleasant at least, to watch her smile. Better than thinking about things too hard, at any rate.

She vaulted upward, rebounding off the side of the conning tower and out into the sea of tents. "Can't catch me!"

He grinned, lazily following her.

Simple-minded games. She bounced over a few more tents and he followed, using only his own muscles and skill, none of the abilities that Washuu had bestowed on him. He chased until she stopped abruptly, looking out at the sea.

He followed her gaze, his eyes automatically scanning to the one small craft that sped towards them, accelerating faster than the larger ships surrounding them. "Ranma-papa-san?"

Called to attention, he turned to Nuku, whose head was cocked to one side, and had both ear-like sensors raised. "Yeah?"

"Is that Yosho-san?"

Ranma looked back, squinting. "I think it is," he said after a moment.

XXX

Ryu glanced around the deck of the ship warily, adjusting to the gentle rolling motion. Yosho stood at one side, conversing in English with an uneasy crewman. Ami listened attentively, frowning as she mouthed some of the words to herself. Makoto clung to his arm the moment he stood still long enough to allow her to do so, and Ryouga merely stood at Yosho's side, his dog having turned up again and leaning against the boy's leg.

Ranma came into view, striding swiftly through the tents and attended by an excitable red-haired girl. Ranma nodded at Yosho as he drew within speaking range. "Hey, Yosho." He glanced at Ryouga, then frowned. "Where's everyone else?"

The man waved a hand in a placating manner. "They're all fine, Ranma." He turned to the redhead standing behind Ranma, bouncing happily on her heels, and said, "Thanks to Nuku's help, of course."

She blinked in confusion, and Ranma nodded grimly. "Yeah, thank, Atsuko... And I guess Eimi, too. So they're just on another ship?"

"The majority of them, yes. I rather suspect Washuu will want a look at one or two of them, though."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at that. "Why?"

Yosho glanced back at Ami, who was watching with a mildly curious and detached air. "I can explain later. For now ... how are you after the battle? Last night looks like it was rough on you."

Ranma scratched his head and looked away. "Yeah," he muttered. "I guess. I've been better. I'm okay." He shook his head and turned his attention back to Yosho. "You need to talk to Washuu, right?"

The man nodded, rummaging in his robes for a moment to produce the somewhat tattered scroll of the Umisen-ken for Ranma. "Did you want this back?"

Ranma shook his head, but before he could speak, Ryu stepped forward. "Ranma," he said. "Since you're the real Ranma... I need that scroll." He hesitated, thinking, as Ranma scowled at him. "So, how can I get it from you?"

Yosho and Ryouga shot Ryu a sidelong glance, both of them frowning. Makoto drew away to whisper quietly with Ami. Ranma simply stood still, considering. He accepted the scroll from Yosho after a moment, and studied it closely without opening it. "This is my father's legacy," he said. "Why do you want it so badly?"

Hesitantly, Ryu explained, "It's one half of two schools. The Yamasen-ken and the Umisen-ken. I've been told that when someone has both scrolls, they can build a dojo with it."

Ranma frowned, but again before he could answer, he was overridden. "Son, do you mind if I look at that scroll for a moment?" a weathered voice asked. The other boy turned to one side, along with Nuku, to peer at a shrunken woman standing nearby, dressed in a green robe with red trim. Ryu blinked, surprised at how short the woman was.

"Yeah," Ranma said dubiously, handing the scroll over. "I guess not."

The old woman nodded knowingly and unfurled a small length of the scroll. "Interesting," she remarked cryptically.

Ranma watched for a moment before turning back to Yosho. "You need to find Washuu?"

Yosho nodded, and Ranma tapped the jewel hanging from his ear. "Washuu? Yosho's here." He remained silent for a moment, eyes tracking someone invisible to those present, then nodded abruptly. "Okay. Yosho? She's going to send Norris around to show you where she is. I guess they gave her a lab somewhere to work on stuff."

The man smiled, and Ranma turned his attention back to the old woman as she carefully re-rolled the scrolls. Ryu blinked at that, frowning. "Hey," he asked, suddenly worried, "what's the other scroll?"

She grinned at him toothily. "The other half, boy. You dropped it when Ranma brought you to my restaurant." Ryu huffed up, indignant, and stepped forward a half-step, only to be held in check by Yosho's outstretched arm.

"I wouldn't do that, boy," the old man warned very quietly. "That woman is some of Ranma's only living family. Be polite."

Growling, Ryu brushed Yosho's arm away, but held some of his temper in check. "Give me my scroll back," he demanded.

"Your scroll?" the woman asked curiously. "One of them, Ranma was given yesterday. The other already has his name on it."

Ryu flinched. "That doesn't mean anything!" he said. "Anyone could have written it there!"

Ranma leaned closer, as she showed off the clumsily written name in hiragana across the scroll. "Saotome Ranma," she read. "And too sloppy to be anyone's handwriting except his."

Snorting, Ranma shook his head. "Gee, thanks," he muttered.

"Of course, Son," the woman said mildly.

"It ain't completely accurate, either," Ranma muttered.

Ryu blinked, remembering. "Oh yeah," he said. "You said that the name 'Saotome' wasn't yours anymore. What happened, you got removed from your clan?"

Ranma growled low in his throat, saying nothing. If he were a cat, Ryu could have easily imagined his hackles rising.

"Oh, hey, that means that the scrolls belong to the Saotome family, but you're not part of them, either! Tell you what, then," he said, thinking quickly, "I'll challenge you. If I win, the scrolls are both mine, if you win, you get them both."

Both the old woman and Yosho turned to stare at Ryu, slack-jawed, but Ranma ignored them, snapping, "Fine. There's an open area at the back of the ship, lets get this over with."

"Uh, hey, hey, wait a minute, here, we can't just fight, you know," Ryu hastily added.

"Why not?"

"Look, you're not really human, right? You're like, part demon or whatever." Ranma flinched, eyes narrowing angrily. "So we gotta fight on the level. No glowing swords, no, uh, flying, or going through things like the ground. Deal?" Ryu was fairly confident that he had more skill, at least. And even if he lost, he would be able to see the Umisen-ken in action. The ability to learn that would be worth it.

Ranma just spent a long moment glowering at Ryu, making him wonder if he had crossed some sort of line. "Fine," he snapped. "Let's get this over with. I'm hungry."

Ryouga snorted, shaking his head. "Ranma," he said warningly, "go easy on him."

Surprised, Ranma looked back at the other boy, slowly smiling. "Gotcha, Ryouga."

Yosho grimaced as Ranma led the way to the rear of the ship, which was miraculously clear of tents and people. Ranma glanced around. There was a good twenty five meter stretch between the last tent and the ship's stern. It was easily twice as wide, giving the boys plenty of room to work with.

"Okay," Ryu said, working out a few tense muscles. "I'm ready."

XXX

Yosho watched the battle dourly. He didn't approve of it at all. Ranma shouldn't have to be subjected to something as pointless as this while he was still recovering. He glanced at Cologne, and the old woman's scowl matched his own feelings quite well.

Ryouga stood to one side easily, arms crossed over his chest, studying Ryu. He seemed confident in Ranma's ability, at least. Yosho wasn't so sure, though. He'd seen Ranma fight only a time or two, and that was with the full benefit of Washuu's tinkering.

"I'm worried," Cologne muttered, fingering one of the scrolls.

Yosho raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked. He had his own reasons, of course...

"The art on this scroll is very powerful," she warned, "and very destructive. Ranma could be seriously hurt..." She trailed off, considering. "Ranma might heal, but I'd just as soon spare him the trouble. I'm not at all amused at this, but honestly, it's not Ranma's fault."

Yosho rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What can we do, though?"

Cologne shrugged, sinking to sit in a cross-legged position and ignoring the people who drew close to watch. "Nothing we can do. If Ranma loses, I'll challenge that 'Ryu' boy myself, and win them back. But Ranma would not do well with such a blow to his pride after losing his mother," she warned.

Ryouga's confidence faded, and he turned to look at Yosho and Cologne worriedly. "You mean he's in trouble?" he asked, trepidation in his voice.

Makoto piped up suddenly, a faint hint of doubt in her voice, "My Ryu-chan will win. He's a great martial artist - just watch! He taught me everything I know."

Cologne glowered at the girl as Yosho stepped forward, towards Ryu and Ranma, where they were squaring off. "Ranma, Ryu," he said calmly. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Ranma jerked his head in a nod, pulling the jewels from his ear and his wrist and tossing them to Yosho. "Yeah," he said, clad then only in a black body suit. "I'm ready."

Ryu took a half-step back, then removed his own pack and threw it to the ground, where it slid towards Makoto. "I'm ready," he confirmed.

"Okay, then," Yosho said, raising his arm in the air. "Begin!" With the word, he snapped his hand down, stepping back.

The two fighters flowed toward one another smoothly, Ranma like a rushing torrent of water, Ryu like an overbearing avalanche. The two met, Ranma ducking under Ryu's initial punch and retaliating with a foot-sweep. Ryu nimbly hopped over the foot-sweep and launched a series of hard punches towards Ranma's torso.

Ranma deftly wove between the punches, deflecting and blocking as necessary before throwing one strong punch towards Ryu's face. The boy blocked it easily, capturing Ranma's fist in his hand. The two glowered balefully at one another before Ranma wrenched his hand free and spun, launching a roundhouse towards Ryu.

Ryu leapt over the kick and lashed out with one of his own, which Ranma avoided narrowly, deflecting the boy to bounce a short distance away, landing on his feet. The two straightened, eyeing one another up and down before readjusting their stances and flowing together again.

This time, Ranma started on the defensive, studying his opponent, dodging out of the way and offering only feints as he felt out the other boy's defenses. Ryu grinned, launching a powerful kick upwards, which Ranma stepped to the side of, retaliating with another foot-sweep whole Ryu was still mid-kick.

The boy toppled, but somersaulted in his fall and rebounded off of the deck of the ship on one palm, coming to rest on his feet again. Ranma frowned, while Ryu grinned.

XXX

Yosho turned to Cologne inquisitively. "That looked like an exchange in Ranma's benefit to me, why is he frowning?"

Cologne sighed, shaking her head, and explained, "They're both holding back. A lot. Ranma's worried because he can't tell how much Ryu's holding back, but Ryu seems to think that he's sounded out Ranma pretty well."

Yosho turned back to the battle mentally gauging the pair himself. While Ranma appeared to have the advantage in power, Ryu seemed to have an advantage in skill. "Damn," he whispered. Cologne merely nodded.

Makoto beamed at the pair. "See?" she said. "Isn't he great?"

Ami chastised Makoto quietly, while Nuku shot her a dirty look and confidently stated, "Ranma-papa-san will win, because he promised Nuku-Nuku that he'd play with her."

Ryouga's voice rumbled low, as he watched the pair's battle, "I hope you're right."

XXX

The exchanges between the pair had shifted from simple strikes and kicks to more complex maneuvers and techniques.

Finally, the pair stepped apart again, Ranma's frown lessened, but Ryu's grin just as strong. "Okay," Ryu declared, "I'm done warming up. You?"

Ranma nodded dourly, neither of the pair breathing hard. "Yeah," he said. "Let's see what you really got."

The two met again, rushing towards each other like a pair of young titans, each with more destructive power than most humans could dream of possessing. Ranma cocked his head to one side, taking a blow on his shoulder that could have cracked stone, and snapped a kick into Ryu's thigh before lashing out with a dozen carefully placed blows to Ryu's torso. Ryu deflected the majority, staggering back to reduce the force he could be struck with and recover his balance.

Grinning, Ryu drew his hands to his chest, stepping towards Ranma and yelling, "Oh no! The old woman!"

Ranma snapped his head around to look at Cologne. Cologne's level gaze warned Ranma, and he dropped to the ground quickly enough to pass beneath Ryu's kick as it flashed through the space his head had been a moment prior. While falling, he bunched up his legs and shot one out like a piston to strike just below Ryu's knee.

The other boy staggered back, off balance from his kick, and fell down before rolling to his feet. Ranma climbed upright, staring at Ryu in disgust. "That was pathetic," he said.

XXX

"Yes, it was," Ryouga growled from the sidelines.

Yosho frowned, but remained silent, while Cologne sighed, "But that's the way the school works."

"Is it?" Yosho asked, surprised.

"At some levels. Watch."

XXX

Ryu grinned cockily, saying, "Yeah, but it almost worked, didn't it?"

Ranma shook his head dourly. "Pops had a lot of techniques based like that. Making a noise to surprise someone and then hitting them really hard is nothing new."

Ryu's grin faded. "Whatever. You want to see the Yamasen-ken?"

"Not really," Ranma responded levelly. "I want to finish beating you up so that I can get something to eat."

Ryu chuckled. "At least you can still laugh," he remarked. With that, the momentary pause again lapsed, and the two surged together in a blinding exchange of punches and kicks, each neatly blocked before Ryu suddenly lunged at Ranma, yelling, "Mouko kaimon ha!"

His arms threw Ranma's defensive posture open, while he launched a kick upwards with enough force to shatter most men. It caught briefly along Ranma's chest before impacting powerfully with Ranma's chin, sending him upwards a good three meters before he slammed into the deck, lying prone.

XXX

"Ryu-chan! Don't hurt him so badly! Go easy on him!"

Nuku growled at Makoto and stalked away with a disdainful sniff, to sit near Cologne. "Ranma-papa-san will win," she grumbled to the old woman.

"Maybe," Cologne said, her voice uncertain.

XXX

"Feh," Ryu snorted, "can't handle it, eh?"

Ranma climbed to his feet, staggering about momentarily before he shook his head to clear it. "One," he said calmly. "That's one."

Ryu rolled his eyes, slipping back into his stance. "I have more where that came from."

Ranma rushed silently, darting to one side and spinning fiercely, leg extended, to strike Ryu from an angle he wasn't expecting. The other boy blocked the kick, sliding backwards across the deck of the ship and grimacing. He countered with a swift elbow jab, but Ranma simply wasn't there to receive it, hopping upwards and arcing over Ryu's head.

When Ryu looked up, it was to see Ranma's knee descending towards his face. Smashing into Ryu, Ranma rebounded, landing a short distance away, while Ryu rubbed angrily at his nose. "What the hell?" he asked, annoyed.

Ranma snorted, beckoning Ryu to attack him. Ryu shrugged and dropped back into his stance, rushing the other boy. Ranma fluidly dodged back out of Ryu's attack, countering with light, ineffectual jabs. When Ryu relaxed, Ranma sent a kick of his own through Ryu's guard, smashing against his ribcage and flinging him a good ten meters away, where he slid across the deck, clutching himself. "Crap!" he shouted, wincing as he climbed to his feet, tenderly examining his torso.

Blinking, Ranma stared at his foot, still extended from the kick, and frowned.

XXX

"Ranma?" Ryouga asked, confused. "What's going on?"

"I don't think he knows how strong he is," Yosho opined. "I'm afraid I heard one of Ryu's ribs crack."

Makoto gasped, turning to stare at Yosho in consternation. "Are you serious?" she asked, worried. "He'd better not hurt my Ryu-chan!"

XXX

Ryu drew his hand away from his chest and took a few experimental steps.

"Give up?" Ranma asked, raising his voice to be heard across the distance.

Shaking his head, Ryu assumed a defensive posture and beckoned Ranma closer. Ranma grimaced, but nodded and set himself, springing towards Ryu like an unleashed tiger.

Ryu drew his hands to his chest as Ranma approached, then suddenly flung one out, a rope snapping from his hands to entangle Ranma, pinning his arms to his sides. "Kinshi kinbakushou," he declared firmly, snapping the rope again and sending Ranma flying towards him.

Ranma struggled in vain to escape the ropes as Ryu shot out his right hand, fingers together like a knife, and shot them forwards, towards Ranma's heart. "Dokuja tanketsu-shou!" he cried, slamming into Ranma, piercing through the black-skin-tight bodysuit, but halted by Ranma's ribcage.

Thrashing around wildly, his teeth gritted from the horrific pain, Ranma landed a kick to Ryu's jaw, sending the two tumbling apart. A spatter of blood sank to the deck between them as Ranma struggled to his feet, his bodysuit resealing itself over the wounds. Ranma spat to one side, spittle thick and reddened with blood.

XXX

Yosho frowned, the jewels in his hand flaring brightly blue, the merest hint of green in their cores, showing only briefly before it winked out. "We should stop this," he said uncertainly. "If they keep going..." he trailed off, scowling.

Eyes glued to the battle in morbid fascination, Ryouga said, "I've seen that attack kill a reaver."

Cologne winced, adding, "We can only hope they finish it soon."

Much less eager and certain then she had been, Makoto watched nervously, no longer cheering Ryu on.

XXX

Ranma hissed, feeling his body reshape, sealing the wounds.

Ryu wiped at his lip, his fingers coming away stained with blood. "Time to finish this," he said confidently. "I don't need to be near you to beat you."

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked, assuming a loose, relaxed stance.

Centering himself, Ryu drew his hands towards his chest. "I didn't want to have to do this," he warned, "but you left me with no choice. Kijin raiyashu-dan!" As he drew his hands apart, a booming shockwave of force and vacuum swept out from his outstretched hands, screaming in a line directly for Ranma.

He braced himself, the blades of vacuum forcing him to slide backwards and cutting deeply into him. Grunting, he slumped to the ground, supported on one knee, palm on the ground as he tried to retain his form. Bright lines of blood trailed from his body before the wounds sealed. "That," he gasped, straightening painfully to his feet, "all you got?"

Ryu growled and prepared to throw another. Ranma turned, preparing to leap out of his way, but froze, catching another blast in the chest and wheeling about before slumping to the deck again. "More than enough for you," Ryu taunted, leaning forward and bracing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

Weak and tired, Ranma crawled forward. "I got more than that, jackass. I ain't gonna throw stuff towards a crowd, either!" he snarled vehemently, surging to his feet again.

Ryu sneered. "It wins the battle, doesn't it?"

Ranma stared, aghast, and shook his head. "Not anymore, it doesn't."

Shrugging, Ryu straightened, and prepared himself for another round. "You can just give up," he said hopefully.

At Ranma's resolute headshake, Ryu sighed, and roared again, "Kijin raiyashu-dan!"

But this time, instead of bracing himself, Ranma simply extended a hand, palm outwards towards the blast. Ryu's blades impacted against an invisible wall, scarring and torturing the deck beneath Ranma's feet in a straight line touching the edge of the wall, and nothing else.

"Hey!" Ryu shouted. "You said you wouldn't do things like that!"

"I promised that I wouldn't fly, phase, or use the blades that Washuu gave me," Ranma retorted. "If you're going to throw _your_ honor by the wayside and put innocents at risk, then I'm going to have to stop you somehow."

"Idiot!" Ryu snapped. "They would have faded before they got that far!"

Ranma colored angrily and snapped out, "Enough! Let's end it!"

He leapt at Ryu, a low, fast arc that traversed the distance between the two quickly. Ryu vaulted upward in response, evading Ranma, but Ranma just rebounded off of the deck and vanished. Ryu blinked, looking around as he reached the apex of his leap. "I win," he heard, moments before Ranma smashed both hands down in a double-arm strike just to the side of Ryu's head, launching the boy towards the deck.

XXX

Makoto's jaw dropped as Ryu slammed into the deck, causing the entire ship to reverberate, and making the heavy steel plating around where he landed bend around him, permanently marring the surface. Ranma landed nearby a moment later and inspected Ryu, nodding in satisfaction. "I win," he stated again more clearly.

"Bastard!" Makoto shrieked, losing what control she had over her temper. "How could you?" She was vaguely aware of someone insisting that she stop, and her own transformation was stunningly brief, leaving her to square off against the completely unimpressed boy. "Jupiter supreme thunder!"

Ranma's eyes widened as a massive bolt of electricity surged across the gap between them, slamming into the boy and leaving him lying prone, smoke rising from his body.

She raised her hands grimly, prepared to strike again. "I'll teach you to-"

Then all became darkness.

XXX

Yosho glared at the fallen girl, her clothing melting from the exotic sailor outfit to the clothing she had worn aboard. Cologne sniffed disdainfully, lowering her staff. "Don't worry, child," she addressed Ami. "She'll wake soon enough without permanent damage."

Ami nodded doubtfully, kneeling to tend to her fallen friend, while Yosho wheeled to look after Ranma.

Ryouga and Nuku were already there, the redhead glowering balefully towards Makoto before turning back to Ranma. Yosho hastened to the boy's side.

While Ryouga fretted nearby, unsure of what to say, Nuku had pulled Ranma up from the deck and clutched him to herself protectively, muttering, quietly, "Took mama-san away ... took papa-san away ... took Eimi-chan away ... took Ryunosuke away..."

Ranma coughed suddenly, as the smoke stopped rising from him, and slowly cracked one eye open tiredly. "I ain't gonna get taken away," he assured her in a broken voice before he trembled violently, the trembles building into a full spasm that rendered him female again. "Just changed around for a while," she grumbled, as Nuku's angry demeanor melted.

"Is Ranma-papa-san okay?" she asked worriedly, becoming the playful and innocent - if anxious - child she seemed to want to be.

"Just peachy," Ranma assured her, rising to a sitting position on her own and ruffling Nuku's hair.

Ryouga jerked a thumb towards Ryu's still prone form. "You worked him over pretty good, Sao- Uh ... Ranma." The girl nodded slowly, climbing to her feet with Nuku's assistance.

"Yeah?" Ranma asked dazedly. "Good... Is he okay?"

Yosho turned to look, seeing Ryu begin to stir, amazingly managing to drag himself out of the depression he had been slammed into. "He's okay," Yosho said, turning to look at Ranma closely. The scent of seared flesh and ozone hung in the air faintly, but Ranma seemed well enough, recovering quickly.

She shook her head, glancing towards the tents, where the refugees were still gaping. "Ah, damn," Ranma muttered. "I think I broke Norris's boat. Uh..."

As if summoned, Norris arrived with a trio of rifle-toting guards, the four of them staring at the scene and looking less than pleased. He snapped out a few swift orders in English, and two of the guards slung their rifles, assisting Ryu along. Then he turned to Yosho, asking "What's going on? What on _Earth_ do you think you're doing to this ship?"

Ranma stared blankly, then turned to Yosho, frowning. "Can I have the jewels back?" she asked. Yosho nodded, belatedly returning the gems to Ranma, who repositioned them, one in her wrist, the other at her ear. "What?" Ranma asked Norris.

After the man repeated his question, Ranma looked away evasively. "I... I really don't want to talk about it," she muttered. "I need some time alone. Sorry."

With that, she strode off. Norris frowned, but knew better than to follow. "Fine," he muttered. "How in the hell are we supposed to fix this?" he asked, gesturing to the dent in the deck. "Anyway, Miss Hakubi is this way, Mr...?"

"Masaki," Yosho replied, his eyes on Ranma as she walked through the frightened crowd. Ryouga exchanged an uncertain glance with Nuku, but both restrained themselves, not following. "Yes, I expect I've got a lot to talk to Washuu about," he murmured.

XXX

Ranma perched on the foremost point of the ship, leaning forward and peering downward. The other passengers, crowded onto the deck of the ship and murmuring, left the area she had claimed as hers alone.

Clearing her head, she turned to face the sea, and took the first stance in the beginner's kata. The motions came slowly, carefully controlled. She was in control.

Pivot, strike, kick, block. Pivot, strike, kick, block.

She left her body to perform the kata, her mind turning to the previous day.

And what a horrible day it had been.

Strike.

Her mother, her father, Soun, and Terry.

Kick.

The dual blows of losing her father and her mother's sudden rejection still stung, as much as Washuu had tried to help.

Block.

Soun and Terry had vanished forever, their final words still ringing in her ears.

Pivot.

She had a duty to live, even if she wanted nothing more than to throw herself at the reavers and rend them limb-for-limb.

Trembling, she realized that she had allowed her technique to become sloppy, and stopped herself. "Does it ever stop hurting?" she asked weakly.

"Are you Ranma-san?"

She spun, leaping a good meter into the air before she caught herself and landed to face the girl standing on the deck of the ship. She came to rest on the point she was perched on in a crouch, and nodded at the girl, peering upward. "Yeah, I'm Ranma," she said.

The girl was small. She wore dark clothes, a straw hat, and nearly shoulder-length hair framed her face. She smiled hopefully at Ranma. "I saw you for a moment last night," she said, "but I thought you were a boy."

Ranma rocked back on her heels, nodding. "Oh yeah?" she said, remembering vaguely. "You told me I was your boyfriend, too."

The girl nodded happily, extending a hand to the redhead. "My name is Tomoe Hotaru!"

Ranma rose, shifting back to male form. "Nice to meet you," he mumbled, not taking her hand.

Her eyes widened, at the sight. "How did you do that?" she asked, confusion evident on her face.

He merely shrugged. "A curse."

Hotaru dropped her hand and inched forward curiously. "Really? How did that happen?"

Ranma laughed humorlessly. "It's really simple. You see, I was in China training with ... with Pops..." he trailed off, slumping. "Me and my father fell into cursed springs," he concluded lamely.

Hotaru bit her lip, frowning. "What happened to your father?"

"He ... he died yesterday." Ranma shook his head. He shouldn't be talking about such things with a child - it would likely just confuse and upset her. She didn't need to hear that. "That's not really important," he said, coughing when his voice caught.

He would not cry, he would not cry...

Hotaru took another careful half step towards him, reaching her hand out again. "Are you okay, Ranma-san?"

"Yeah," he said nodding quickly. "I'm fine."

She nervously glanced at the edge of the small platform he stood on. Ranma's guess was that it served as the crucial few meters necessary for the planes to take off, but nearly the entire carrier's surface was covered with tents anyway. However, when she was close enough, she tentatively touched his arm, frowning in concentration. A tingling surge flashed through him at her touch, and the gem on his wrist began glowing softly green. "I can help, if you're hurt," she said, voice filled with determination.

Ranma blinked, as the girl smiled triumphantly and swooned, falling to one side and off the edge of the ship. It took less time to think about than to teleport to her side, catching her carefully and using his levitation to dampen her momentum.

He frowned at the girl in his arms. She was unconscious from doing whatever it was she had done to him. The green glow slowly faded, leaving the gem on his wrist to resume its normal dull blue tinge.

He drifted upwards above the lip of the deck and set back down on the small pier-like structure again. A voice prompted him to look up as the girl cradled in his arms stirred gently. A young couple broke free of the cluster of tents, barreling towards him. Probably for the girl, he thought.

The woman wore her hair long, green and flowing, just past her shoulders. The man had his hair shorter, combed carefully back, and they were calling out in tandem, "Hotaru!"

Ranma said nothing, merely setting Hotaru down when she roused, though the girl leaned against him unsteadily. Unsurprisingly, the blond man reached them first, reaching down and pulling Hotaru away worriedly.

He didn't need to see more; they wouldn't want anything to do with him. And they wouldn't want their daughter to have anything more to do with him, either.

Drifting above the deck of the ship, he closed his eyes, teleporting beneath the sea. The murky waters echoed with the rumblings of the engines overhead and allowed him a moment of solitude.

All of those people above him, he thought, and yet, he was some place no one else could bother him. He furrowed his brow. That wasn't entirely true. Ran-oh- The rat could find him, and Washuu's communicator could reach him ... probably anywhere.

He sighed, as much as he could without needing to breathe, and being underwater. He didn't need yet another reminder of what he'd lost. His family, his right to be part of society. He flipped onto his back, drifting lazily beneath the fleet. The sun was little more than a bright distorted spot above, while the fleet was a group of shadows against the surface of the ocean. Below was nothing more than murky darkness, though his senses reported back how deep it was, had he cared to investigate.

But he didn't. He simply wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Frowning, he took the gem from his ear and held it above him, centering it on the large golden blob of light that was the sun. Closing one eye, he watched the sunlight through the gem, which sparkled a luminous gold and blue, alternating as the waves above shifted and moved.

The gem remained in position after he released it, floating above him. Pondering, he allowed his senses to drift. He closed his eyes, reaching through the link he shared with his partner. How much information _could_ he glean?

XXX

Ran-oh-ki sat happily in an out-of-the-way corner of the ship. The upper areas weren't very nice. Too many people. Especially grabby and drooly little ones.

He didn't like that at all.

But the place he had found was nice, even though it could have been better. The nice soft one with the red hair - either of them - that followed his partner could have kept him company. Or better, the one with the long blue hair, but he knew that she had left. Her friend had said so, just before he left.

He idly wondered what it would be like to be stuck, like her friends were. Unable to walk around, hop on his partner's head ... and worst of all, no teeth.

Nope. Wouldn't be fun at all, he decided. On the other hand, here, away from the grabby-smelly-loud-annoying people above, there were quiet people who had a great sense of importance to what they did.

They also seemed to resent him and chase him with sticks. Playing tag wasn't much fun, since they couldn't phase through the walls. Still, they had some nice things down near the lower areas.

He settled down for a nap in his dark secluded corner, planning on hunting down the excitable soft one with red hair that liked his partner - not that he could see why she did - later for a game of tag. She was fun to play with.

One ear perked, listening to, but not really understanding the words he was hearing. His partner could probably explain them, if he had to. He would, if it were important.

"Um ... Sir? We're missing some ordinance."

"Hmm? Alright, spit it out. What's missing? Someone else feel the need to try and steal a handgun?"

"Um, no, Sir... We're missing an F-18."

Dead silence filled the dark and warm space for a moment, and Ran-oh-ki stretched, yawning quietly.

"Say that again, petty officer?"

"Um, Sir, we're missing an F-18."

"Where the hell does an entire _plane_ go, petty officer?"

Ran-oh-ki belched softly and tuned the rest of the conversation out.

XXX

Ranma jerked back to his senses, startled. The gem was where he left it, and he had only drifted a short distance from the Kitty Hawk. Idly snatching the gem, he zeroed in on Ran-oh-ki's location, rising and phasing through the decks beneath the creature.

Ran-oh-ki didn't move, and Ranma ended up picking up his partner atop his head. He made a soft noise, and Ranma wordlessly encouraged him to be silent for a moment. Stealing food was one thing, he thought, but his partner had some fairly expensive taste.

Phasing outside of the ship and drifting upwards, Ranma whispered, "Well, we'll just keep that our little secret, eh?"

Ran-oh-ki sent something along the lines of vague approval and drifted to sleep. "Man," Ranma muttered. "Where the hell do you put it all?"

Shaking his head, he sighed, while his partner snored softly. Unable to phase through things while Ran-oh-ki was asleep, he focused on the image of Washuu in his mind, until he felt something click, and levitated slightly, breaking his contact with the steel plating of the floor to teleport.

Washuu looked up at him in surprise, setting down her tools. "Ranma?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said after a moment, looking around the room. It was more like a small hanger, with a pair of largely dismantled airplanes nearby. The scientist was up to her elbows in some strange cylindrical device, laying on a large worktable before her. "I'm fine. Just thought I'd keep you company."

She stared at him for a moment, picking up and fiddling with one of the devices that lay scattered about the table. "Okay," she said hesitantly. "Just make yourself comfortable. I'm working on the lure at the moment, and I'm going to try..." she trailed off, turning back to the machine intently. "Try," she resumed a heartbeat later, "to build something to distill sea water to drinking purity. Something to last a few days, at least."

Ranma nodded, not entirely understanding the scientist. If it was important to her, it was probably important to everyone. "Hey, Washuu?" he asked after a moment.

"Hmm?"

"You already talked with Yosho?"

"Yes," she replied absently, tapping a small box on the side of the cylinder as it lit up. "Aha! This task was a mere nothing for a genius of my caliber!"

"What's it do?" he asked doubtfully.

She glanced at him, frowning. "It annoys the hell out of the reavers. Can you move this for me? I'm going to need the table cleared and don't have time to try and reinvent anti-gravity with the technology that's available at the moment."

Sighing, Ranma lifted the large cylinder, hefting it and setting it in the corner easily. "Right," he grumbled. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment," Washuu muttered, pulling components and parts from the two dismantled jets and eyeing them dubiously. "I don't think most of this is remotely suitable for what I want, and it's about the only thing I have to work with. I'm going to have to find a way to convert the basic metals here into more complex alloys."

"Oh," Ranma said, nodding skeptically. "Yeah, that makes sense."

The redheaded scientist nodded in return, completely missing Ranma's sarcasm. "Well," she commented, "I can still do it. I am a genuis, after all!"

Placing a small mountain of parts of the table, the scientist scowled at some out-of-reach component. "Need help?" Ranma asked, leaning closer to look.

"Yes," Washuu grumbled. "I can't get to that valve there," she said, pointing to a small device lodged firmly within the fuselage of one of the jets.

"What do you need it for?" he asked, leaning closer to peer at it.

"It's a pump. Pumps are always useful."

"Uh-huh," Ranma said, reaching up to catch Ran-oh-ki as his partner fell from his perch and woke in Ranma's hands. "Okay, rat, earn your keep. Free up that ... thing," Ranma commanded, pointing at the valve.

Ran-oh-ki obligingly bit down on Ranma's hand, causing Ranma to bop the creature upside the head in retaliation, knocking it into the small chamber with the valve. "Miyah," he whined, before loud chewing noises emanated from the cavity in the fuselage.

Washuu stared wordlessly, before a smile slowly bloomed across her face. "That's ... very clever, Ranma. I could have borrowed a blowtorch, though."

The boy shrugged, levitating upwards slightly and lounging in the air. "I guess, but the rat's always hungry. He likes anything that lets him get fed." Though, Ranma couldn't fault the creature for that, since it was a trait they shared.

The scientist chuckled as Ran-oh-ki slowly widened the hole until it was large enough for Washuu to pluck the valve she wanted free.

XXX

Washuu pretended to pay more attention to her project than Ranma. For his part, he pretended that there wasn't a problem, and everything was fine.

She knew he was hiding it, even if it was from himself. What made him so unable to open up? What part of his persona insisted that he had to be strong enough to not seek help from anyone?

There wasn't a single person in Washuu's mind who could weather the emotional pain that Ranma already had and do more than curl into a whimpering ball, but he persisted in not speaking about it. The one time Ranma _had_ spoken about it was when she had reached out to him, but Washuu wasn't convinced that was healthy.

If he needed help, he should ask for it. The tricky part was getting him to ask for it first.

She glanced at him as he dangled a bit of wire before Ran-oh-ki, teasing his partner with it while the creature attempted to grab it, only to have Ranma tug it away. Ranma was sprawled in the air a half meter above the floor, his partner making small upward hops towards the cabling. "Say," Ranma asked suddenly, not looking at Washuu, "where does the rat put everything he eats, anyway?" He reflexively jerked his hand out of the way as Ran-oh-ki made a pass at it, instead ending with a mouthful of wire.

Shrugging, she explained, "I already told you. He keeps it in a subspace pocket."

"But ... why?"

Washuu glanced at Ranma again, now sitting cross-legged in mid-air, Ran-oh-ki sprawled on one knee, napping contentedly. "Well," she said, summoning her terminal to alter some properties of the metals before her, "he's a starship. He needs mass before he can turn into one. Ryo-oh-ki had her successor to draw mass from, so it was much easier for her."

"How much more does he need to eat?" Ranma grumbled.

"That, I'm not certain of. I could check later, but likely, he hasn't gotten hardly anything to eat, and he's not mature enough to generate the slave-crystals he's going to need to control sub-space access." She finished typing in a command and banished the terminal. "And shielding," she added after a moment.

"Slave crystals?" Ranma's voice was filled with doubt.

"Not slaves," Washuu assured him. "That's a technical term because they act _like_ intelligent controls, but aren't really. They're subordinate to his commands, so that he can control his mass, ballast, shielding, attitude, and acceleration."

"Huh," Ranma said, interest fading from his voice.

It _was_ getting him to talk, she supposed, but not about what she wanted. And if his interest was waning, it wasn't much to talk about anyway. "Anything else?" she asked neutrally.

"Uh ... not really," he mumbled. "I c'n go away if I'm bothering you..."

"Don't mumble," she chastised him, turning to face the boy where he hovered. His face was a mask of torn indecision. "And _never_ think that you're bothering me," she said, moving to kneel near where he hovered. As she approached, he sank to the floor warily. "You can always talk to me, Ranma. That's what friends are for, right?"

He nodded nervously. "Uh ... I know. You already told me I could."

"But you don't," she said. Sighing dramatically, she stretched and looked away. "Some days I feel downright unneeded."

"Well ... it's not like that, you know... It's more like I just aren't really good at talking."

Washuu grimaced. "I can tell. Your grammar is atrocious."

Ranma frowned and stared at Washuu. "Gee, sorry," he muttered.

She rolled her eyes. "Sorry, sorry... I was teasing." She smiled softly, seeing her opening. "And what was it you wanted to talk about with me?"

He was silent for a long moment. Washuu was about to give up - Ranma looked resolutely away before he broke the uncomfortable silence, absently scratching Ran-oh-ki's ears. The creature gave a muted but happy purr as Ranma spoke, "Did Yosho tell you what happened today?"

Washuu bit her lip pensively. "About Ryu?" she asked.

"Yeah. About him." Ranma's voice was filled with contempt.

"Yes, he did... He told me that Ryu challenged you to take away something your father left to you." She kept her tone level. Yosho's rendition of the story was likely unbiased, with Ranma being an innocent dragged into a struggle he wanted to avoid. "What else?"

"I fought him," Ranma said angrily. "I fought him, and I... He..." He struggled for words, balling one hand into a fist and slamming it into the floor at his side. "He threw some kind of attack towards the crowd, knowing that I'd take it rather than let it get through." He shook his head angrily, not noticing that the floor had buckled where he struck it. "I mean, yeah ... I know that I don't fight with a lot of honor, and I use tricks ... but that was just low. And because he did that, I cheated."

Washuu blinked, realizing that Ranma's contempt was purely for himself. "What?" she asked, confused. "How did you cheat?" Yosho had explained that Ranma was fighting without any of his Masu powers; had he used them?

"The trick I learned last night." He gestured vaguely. "I blocked what he was throwing. Then I... I dunno," he stared at his hands, being careful not to jostle his partner. "I lost my temper and hit him really hard. I hit him a hell of a lot harder than I've _ever_ hit anyone before - I've never slammed someone into a metal plate like that."

He began to tremble as he continued, "I mean, all my life I've fought, that's nothing new, and I've been mad plenty of times. But I've never tried to hurt someone that badly before." He swallowed nervously. "I ... think that people think that I'm turning into some kind of monster," he rasped out, choking back a sob and masking it with a cough. "And when I look at the way the people up there look at me ... I think they're right."

Ranma convulsed, eyes bright with tears he refused to shed. "M...maybe I should leave you alone," he choked out, preparing to leave. His move to rise failed as Washuu grabbed his hand firmly. "Ranma," she stated. "You are not a monster. If anything, from what I've seen you're more human than anyone else I know." She stifled a sigh as Ranma looked away, unable to meet her gaze. In a gentle voice, she added, "You did what you had to in order to protect people. You tried to keep him from hurting innocents, right?"

He nodded sullenly. "I guess," he allowed.

"Good enough. You can't blame yourself, though. You did the right thing, and people ... not just humans ... but all people are often afraid of things they don't understand. I think once humans become more familiar with other races, they'll learn better."

He slumped, sighing. "I feel... I feel like I'm alone, though."

Washuu dropped his hand, causing to look at her in surprise - a worrisomely vulnerable expression on his face. Sizing him firmly, Washuu embraced him tightly, her own voice oddly thick as she said, "Never, Ranma. As long as I can help it, you'll _never_ be alone."

After a tentative heartbeat, Ranma raised his arms, carefully returning the hug. Washuu smiled happily, blinking away her own tears as Ranma cried softly. If anything would teach him that trying to rebuild his walls was unnecessary, that would be it. "Thank you," he said when he had calmed down, breaking the embrace with a tinge of embarrassment on his face. "Thank you."

XXX

The prow of the small ship bobbed alarmingly, forcing all of the girls - and the sickly Mamoru - to say low, though they were luckily all free of seasickness.

Usagi made faces, but bravely weathered the ride. "How are you doing, Mamo-chan?" she asked worriedly.

"Better today," he said after a pause to consider. "I think."

Shaking her head and staring towards the carrier they were headed for, Setsuna tried to sort her thoughts out. Firstly, her plans had been completely destroyed by the arrival of the aliens. Secondly, her pride had taken a considerable bruising because of the embarrassment of having some ... alien ... show up and do the senshi one better. Thirdly, she _knew_ she had made a mistake in letting the girl in the past live.

"What's got you so upset?" Minako asked.

Startled out of her reverie, Setsuna winced. "Just thinking about yesterday, when I was dealing with the half-demon," she muttered.

"Did it hurt you?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, I disabled him quickly enough. Luckily, he and the girl with him were both calm and sensible."

"What happened?"

Setsuna blinked, eyeing the blonde and frowning. "Do you really want to know?" she asked.

Minako nodded, and Setsuna glanced around. "Alright, then." She paused, collecting herself, and eyed the boat's pilot, who probably couldn't hear over the whine of the engine. "I went to follow the trail of someone who was meddling. She was from our time, and had traveled back a bit. She was planning on making major alterations to the time stream."

"How did you stop her?"

"I had to slow her pet half-demon down with a Dead Scream," Setsuna muttered. "After that I told her that she couldn't rewrite history as she saw fit - no matter how tempting it might be."

"Oh." There was a long, silent moment. "Why not?"

And that was the fourth thing bothering Setsuna. "Because if history is altered, Crystal Tokyo might not become a reality," she grumbled. Shrugging, she gestured to the massive carrier as they drew near. "And right now, it might already be too late to fix. I have no idea what that girl did, but it set something in motion that completely failed to stop the monsters. Whatever it was, it can't be a good thing."

Minako was quiet, contemplating. "Oh," she said after a moment. "I guess I see." She stared at the ship and asked, "What about that strange boy from last night? How did you make him jump on you like that? Can you teach me?"

Setsuna stared at the girl blankly. "No. And don't make him angry," she said, speaking up to get everyone's attention. "I don't like it much, but he could be very dangerous to us, so let's be sure to stay on his good side."

The other girls - Minako, Usagi, and Rei - nodded their understanding. They wouldn't be the kind of people to antagonize anyway. Setsuna ruefully admitted to herself that she was probably overreacting.

XXX

Completed with her project for the moment, Washuu stepped back and eyed it critically. "Should be able to distill about ten thousand gallons per minute," she announced. "The hard part is going to be getting it around."

Ranma waved a hand dismissively, teasing Ran-oh-ki with unneeded parts. The creature pounced and ate every bit of scrap metal he was presented with, doing so with a nearly malicious glee. Ranma paused a moment, considering, then tossed a tiny spring in such a manner as to make it bounce all about his partner, sending the creature into a mad frenzy to capture it.

Once he had done so, Ran-oh-ki collapsed contentedly, sleeping in Ranma's lap with a pleased expression smile and the occasional twitch of a whisker. The boy smirked, tickling the creature's chin as he slept. "Don't ever let him know I said it, but the rat's kinda cute," he confessed.

Washuu smiled, shaking her head. "I won't," she replied, sitting near Ranma and sighing.

The boy glanced at her quizzically, and she found herself reassessing him again. "So ... what now?"

"Oh, Norris and Cologne are speaking of tactics." Washuu sighed, shaking her head. "I have one more trick up my sleeves, since we can't get where Cologne wants hauling this many refugees."

"What's that?" Ranma asked, scratching Ran-oh-ki's ears as the creature stretched in its sleep.

"Hm. Well, if I can find everything I need here," she gestured to the ship, "then we can simply make a gateway to send people away - to some place safe."

Ranma looked doubtful. "Where?"

Washuu shrugged, lacing her fingers together and placing them behind her head as she leaned back against the bulkhead. "Australia, probably. Some place far away. It should be safe, since the reavers will all be attracted to that," she said, indicating the beacon she had built earlier with a nod of her head.

The boy frowned, but accepted the answer. "Okay," he grumbled. "What next?"

Making a face, Washuu considered. "The odds of finding what I need aboard these ships are infinitesimal. We can hope to find them in Shanghai - I haven't activated the beacon yet, so we can try it, but ... the idea of trying to hold a city isn't so great. The odds of succeeding where we failed in Tokyo are worse than the odds of finding what I need to build a hyper-dimensional gateway."

Scratching his head, Ranma looked upwards, eyes playing across the ceiling. "Well," he said slowly, his index fingers dancing idly about one another like lazy electrons, "I can get out and find stuff for you. Where should I go to look for ... uh ... whatever you need?"

Washuu waved a hand at him dismissively. "Don't worry about it," she assured him. "I'll just have my computer hack into all the local satellites and collect what information they can from them. Today, you should just relax."

Ranma continued to fidget nervously, finally relaxing enough to nod. "Okay," he mumbled.

"What, you don't like to relax?" she teased.

"More like I never really learned how," he grumbled.

Washuu clapped her hands together delightedly. "Oh! Then this will be fun!"

Ranma turned to look askance at her. "What?"

A knock on the door distracted the woman, and she sighed, climbing to her feet tiredly. "No rest for the wicked..."

XXX

Usagi was the first to step aboard, though she wasn't surprised to see Ami waiting for her. The stern-looking Yosho was to be expected, but Ami's barely concealed anxiousness was something new. "What happened?" she asked, not able to believe anything truly bad had happened, but still worried.

She'd seen enough things go wrong in her world in the last month to last her a lifetime, and something warned her that it wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

Ami bit her lip nervously, and explained in simple and concise terms what had happened. "Ryu-san challenged Ranma-san to a duel, and ... things got a little out of hand. Ryu-san used a fairly underhanded trick, and I think that Ranma-san overreacted. When the fight was over, Mako-chan thought that Ryu-san was hurt, and ... attacked Ranma-san."

"With her martial arts?" Usagi asked worriedly. Makoto's martial abilities were nothing to laugh at - not at all. She might have seriously hurt someone.

"No," Yosho grumped, "she hit him with a bolt of lightning. I daresay that if the boy weren't half-masu, that shock could have killed him easily. There's a scorch mark on the deck where it happened."

Usagi's eyes widened, and she fought back tears. "Is he okay? Is Ryu okay? What about Mako-chan?"

Beckoning Usagi and the others to follow, Ami strode towards one of the ship's corridors. "Mako-chan hasn't woken yet, but Ranma-san's grandmother said that she won't be hurt. The doctors say Ryu-san should be okay with a few weeks of rest. Ranma-san ... was very angry, I think."

The rest of the journey became a muted blur for Usagi until she was let into the room where Makoto lay. The chestnut-haired girl lay, seemingly asleep, on a cot. At her side, on a slightly higher and very clean bed, lay Ryu, though his wrist was secured to a guardrail with a solid looking pair of handcuffs.

He glanced at her balefully, then away, staring pointedly at a poster on the wall. Usagi couldn't read it, since it was in English, but dismissed it after half a heartbeat. Makoto was next to her, and Makoto was more important than anything else at the moment.

She knelt at the girl's side, glancing around at the assembled senshi, Setsuna muttering and swearing under her breath. "Mako-chan?" she asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Stirring at her voice, Makoto snapped awake, blinking dazedly at the circle of her comrades staring down at her. "I'm... I'm okay," she said, sitting up slowly. "Ryu-chan!" she exclaimed suddenly, relaxing when he waved at her from his bed, still not willing to look. "What ... what happened? Ryu-chan! I thought that monster killed you! Oh, no! The monster, you have to-"

Yosho cut her off angrily. "Ignorant- Rebels indeed..." With that, he turned and stood in the corridor, muttering under his breath.

Usagi spared him a glance, frowning. "Monster?" she asked. "What monster?"

Leaning against the hall outside of the room, umbrella slung over one shoulder and a bandana hanging low on his forehead, someone else answered when Ami couldn't find the words. "There's a long story there," he said, voice low and rumbling.

Another voice chimed in when Ryouga's trailed off, lighter and faintly accented, "Ranma's got problems on a level that you probably can't even begin to comprehend, and we don't really want to let you add to them. There's not much we can do to apologize for what we've done to him, but we can try our best to keep other people from making our mistake." Mousse stepped into sight as he finished, looming near Ryouga and eyeing the girls skeptically.

"Who is Ranma, and why is he so important?" Usagi asked.

Ryouga and Mousse exchanged a glance, Ryouga deferring to Mousse. The bespectacled boy nodded, adjusting his glasses and spoke, "I'll tell you what I can, and Hibiki-san will have to fill in the blanks. From what I know..."

XXX

Ran-oh-ki sneezed violently, twice, startling himself awake. Ranma smirked, trying to ignore the conversation between Washuu and Norris. It didn't involve him anyway.

He sneezed suddenly himself, and shrugged in embarrassment when Norris and Washuu turned to look at him. "Sorry," he muttered, collecting Ran-oh-ki and teleporting above the ship again. They had their own problems, and he was supposed to relax.

Sighing, he stretched out over a passing cloud, peripherally aware of the fleet below him, and drifting. Ran-oh-ki sprawled on his belly, eyes already drifting shut tiredly. "Sleep, eat, sleep, eat," he chastised. "Your life must be so hard!"

The creature opened one eye, as if to say, "I deal with you, don't I?"

Ranma snorted, folding his arms behind his head and exhaling.

And presently, sunning himself above the thin cloud-cover, he fell asleep.

And dreamed.

XXX

Tsunami wrestled with herself. It was so hard to be strong, to maintain her facade. So hard to retain control - to be herself.

She rose suddenly, surprising both Tenchi and Ayeka, but garnering no more than a curious glance from Ryouko. The Court had long since learned that Goddesses were above comment and petty politicking, and remained silent despite any thoughts they might have on the issue.

Smiling politely, she bowed to Tenchi, dismissing herself without any further preamble. She strode swiftly through the halls of the palace, unmindful of the guards and heading down the path that was engraved into her being as firmly as any path could be.

The path to her tree-self.

But then, being strong wasn't the answer. Nor was being 'Tsunami', as she was. She couldn't suppress Sasami and expect the integration to flow smoothly. She knew her reflection had regressed somewhat, becoming more Sasami than what it had been. But the growth needed to be shared, not stolen only by one.

She paused, on the lip of the ring surrounding her tree. She was frightened even as Sasami would be - frightened that Sasami would not be able to handle the changed situation. But running wouldn't solve anything.

For that problem, she had devised a solution, however uncertain it was.

Glancing over her shoulder, and finding herself alone once more, she reached into the folds of her robes, producing a small, spherical blue gem. She played it across her fingers, a bemused smile coming to her lips as her other hand rose to the tree.

The tree's trunk rippled as she smoothly sank into it, leaving the palace in nearly all physical senses. She entered a place that existed in the space between the Ouke-no-Ki. It was the lines between their network - a place that was _no_ place, because it existed only in the minds of the trees.

And there, it was formless, merely a vast web of thoughts and impulses passing from tree to tree, all of them neatly ringing herself. And in that space which was no space, she summoned a mirror. The reflection in the mirror was not quite her, but not truly someone else.

The girl in the mirror regarded her curiously before stepping out of her own accord, staring around in wonder and confusion. "Where is this?" she asked.

Tsunami offered her hands to the girl before her. "We are inside me - inside us."

Sasami regarded her levelly, then smiled, placing her hands within Tsunami's. "I remember," she said. "Some of it. I remember that ... you saved me... But what's happening now?"

"Now," Tsunami said wistfully, "we cross the point of no return. You and I share much, our spirits are combining. But ... our bodies, our hearts, and our minds - our entire beings - must unite. And I confess ... I am frightened."

Sasami's eyes widened at that. Tsunami didn't need to think hard to imagine why. It was probably incomprehensible to her that Tsunami could be frightened. But she was, and Sasami knew why, too, as little as she might like it. "Can I help?" she asked, anxious.

"Only by allowing me to trust you, and allowing yourself to trust me."

"You can trust me!" Sasami assured her. "I'll help you as much as I can!"

"Are you certain, Sasami? It can never be undone, even now ... but I could withdraw, leaving as much of your life to yourself as I could, should you desire it."

"It's okay! I want to help!"

"It will hurt," Tsunami cautioned. "Did you not ever fear losing those you loved?"

"Losing them?" the girl asked, confused. "Tenchi-neesan will always be there for me, right?" she asked anxiously.

Tsunami looked away, unable to meet Sasami's eyes. "I cannot promise that," she said softly. "We can hope, but I cannot promise."

"Ayeka?" Her face became petulant, worried.

"And I can promise that less, Sasami. I am sorry... I am so very sorry..."

"What... Who will I have, then?"

"You will have me, Sasami. And ... Washuu will be there with us, for always and forever."

Sasami was silent for a long moment, and finally asked, "What about Ranma?"

"That," Tsunami stated hopefully, "is a distinct possibility."

"But not a promise?" Sasami asked warily.

"No, I cannot promise very much at all."

The girl considered again for a long, silent minute, then answered solemnly, "Tsunami ... I trust you. I still want to help."

"Bless you, Sasami," Tsunami whispered, as their hands began to dissolve into sparkling motes of light, swirling together slowly. "Be brave," she warned.

Sasami didn't flinch, staring upwards and into Tsunami's eyes, her own bright pink eyes full of love and trust. "I trust you."

XXX

After Ryouga and Mousse - in their own somewhat clumsy yet effective manner - managed to explain the entire situation to the assembled senshi, a silence fell over the room. Ryu still refused to speak, staring away resolutely.

Makoto couldn't quite meet anyone else's eyes.

Setsuna shook her head in irritation. "So much for not making him mad," she grumbled.

Usagi straightened suddenly, stiffening and radiating a sense of calm. Composed completely, she straightened, possessed of a presence much greater than herself, as shimmering planes of light sculpted themselves about her, forming a gown of pristine white so untainted that everyone subconsciously flinched away.

Voice resonant, she spoke, "Ranma must be forgiven for what he's done to Ryu..." She paused, blinking twice at Ryu, who had finally deigned to look. "But apologies must be made, as mistakes already have been." At the last, she frowned at Makoto, neither angry nor unhappy, merely ... disappointed.

XXX

"Tell me, child, do you know the stories of Death's younger sister?"

Ranma spun, staring about the same desolate and barren wasteland from before. There was no pile of stones - no speaker. But the voice still resonated, coming from everywhere and nowhere.

"Uh ... not really," he mumbled, turning slowly, waiting for the woman to appear again. It was strange, when he stopped to think about it, that he forgot about the dream upon waking, and remembered it again when he fell asleep.

"A popular myth in many cultures, including some from your own world."

He spun again, not wholly surprised to see the woman awaiting him, perched atop her pile of stones. She was speaking not to him, but to a rounded, polished, and very clean stone in her hands. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing, child. Nothing to you at the moment." Her eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze away from the stone and released it to tumble free and join in the pile beneath her.

The stone came to a stop at the base of the pile, and Ranma realized that it was no stone at all - it was a grinning skull. Unable to stop himself, and knowing what the answer would be, he asked, "What is that?"

"The last of a dying race," she said, bemused. "Would you like it? It serves me no use, truly."

Ranma swallowed, eyeing the pile of 'stones' she rested on. "Those... Those too?" he asked nervously.

"It is my duty," she responded simply. "And it will be yours, in time. You will be able to harvest a great many of them," she mused.

He shook his head, feeling his stomach churn, and stumbled to the chasm, falling to his knees. He braced himself on the edge of the cliff, and heaved, but his stomach had nothing to surrender. Still uneasy, he stood slowly, as a small section of the soil beneath his hands gave way, tumbling free and loosing the soil already blasted in the scouring sandstorm of his last visit.

Another stone, buried only shallowly by the soil. No stone, he guessed, recoiling in horror, as the woman behind him laughed, "Surprised, child? You should not be - you know what I am."

He shook his head, staggering away from the cliff, instinctively wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist. "You're... You're disgusting," he spat, nauseated. "You're a killer, and you want me to help you?"

The woman looked away and mused softly, "I am no killer. Merely a harvester, a collector. When the term of a being is over, I intercede. Then and only then." She looked directly at Ranma again, waving a hand. As her hand passed, darkness fell, and when it was lifted, Ranma found himself standing in a great hall, all white marble floors and vast ivory columns leading to a ceiling that disappeared in the distance, further than his eyes could see.

"You," she stated, now seated on a dias of gold and bone, carpeted in the hide of some creature that Ranma didn't recognize, "will be harvesting _for_ me ... unless you agree to bring Washuu to me. When you do that, perhaps-"

And then the dream ended.

XXX

Above, in a cloudbank, Ranma woke sharply at the intense green flare from his gems. Ran-oh-ki needed no urging and scrambled to Ranma's shoulder as the boy threw himself downward, streaming through the air and tensed. His head felt muzzy, confused.

As though something important that he couldn't remember had happened, and it were something that he _should_ remember. He dismissed it, focusing on what was important - the reavers.

"What's going on?" he asked, touching the gem at his ear.

"Ranma?" Washuu sounded surprised. "Nothing, we're just discussing the information I've gotten from the satellites."

"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly. "My gems just turned green, and they only do that around reavers. I don't sense any, but I sense ... something. I can't pin it down."

As sharply as it had arrived, the sensation vanished, and with it, the flare of green. "Are you certain, Ranma?"

He sucked in a sharp breath, halting himself and staring at the gem in his wrist dumbly. "It's gone, now..."

"Well, we can check to see if there's anything in the area, but the sensors I have here aren't picking up anything at the moment."

Washuu sounded doubtful, and Ranma hesitated only a moment before dismissing the incident. "I'm sure it's not important," he mumbled. "Sorry if I bothered you."

XXX

Returned to merely being 'Usagi' again, the blonde swooned, to be caught by Mamoru. He glanced at Ryu and Makoto reproachfully before turning to tend to his fallen lover.

Setsuna was the first to break the silence, placing a hand on Hotaru's shoulder absently. "Why," the woman mused, "do I have the feeling that things just got much, much more confusing?"


	9. Chapter 07

Process of Elimination - Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

Additional tinting provided by: Kitty Films, and Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A. (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku). The easel is mine. That's all.

* * *

_ "I remember the Battle of Shanghai just fine. It was just after the first time I ever met that 'Ranma' guy, and he made some of the hard-asses in Mishima look tame. Boy was an animal, I tell you; he didn't stop at **nothing** to kill a reaver. In fact- What? Relevance? Oh, nothing, your, uh, honorable exalted eminence, uh, Sir, just thought I'd mention that. You see, there was this bee near the accelerator..."_ [Message truncated].

-Paul Durant - Hearing with Galaxy Police, case number TER2-656278 for a traffic violation.

XXX

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Tenchi watched through the viewports of the Throne, staring at a gas giant orbiting a yellow dwarf star. Something near Earth's own, if a bit harsher according to what he had been told. "So," he said softly, turning very slightly towards Ayeka, but not taking his eyes off the planet, "what's going on here, exactly?"

"Ah, Tenchi-sama," Ayeka responded carefully, cautious of approaching Tenchi too carefully until the ... situation ... involving her, Ryouko, and Tenchi was ironed out - the last thing the Emperor of Jurai needed was more problems. "Ginraii has explained that they plan on making a change to this system. The most useful moons of the lot is that one." She gestured to a console, though the moon itself was lost in the starry blackness of the space around the giant.

Tenchi nodded slowly. "What's wrong with the moon?"

"Spin-lock," Ryouko muttered, sulking as she was on the cushions to one side of Tenchi, carefully maintaining the delicate triangular balance between herself, him, and Ayeka. "The moon orbits, but one side always faces the planet. Just like the moon on Earth."

Running a hand through his hair, Tenchi said, "Well, that might not be too bad, I guess ... what else is wrong with it?"

Ayeka did not hide the small smile that formed as she noted Tenchi's quick grasp of things. In time, he would doubtlessly become a fine emperor. Ryouko droned on as if bored, "The giant, Cyaga, has an unstable magnetic field. It shifts constantly, and when it does, magnetic storms ravage the moons, impairing their ability to deflect the sun's radiation."

"Oh. Is there anything that can be done about it?" Tenchi asked, squinting his eyes in vain to see the as-of-yet-unnamed moon.

"Yes, Tenchi-sama," Ayeka informed him after Ryouko shrugged indifferently, "but a field generator would only go so far..."

Tenchi grimaced. "So what are they doing about it? We have a lot of things that we need to do, after all - looking at a pretty planet might not be the best thing to do with our time."

Ayeka nodded. It was indeed a pretty planet, vapors swirling in a pleasant greenish-blue pattern. Almost like a ball of water. But it wasn't water - it was a great many gasses, the majority of them toxic.

A knock came at the door before Ayeka could answer. Frowning, but quickly masking the expression, she gestured it open.

Bowing politely as he entered, clad in his robes of state and attended by his ever-present guardians, Genoh strode into the room. "Masaki-sama," he greeted as bowed politely again to Ayeka. "Amatera-sama," he said again, bowing to Tenchi.

Ayeka bit back a yell of anger at the comment. The man likely meant well. "Laruma-san," she informed him, "Tenchi-sama is a Masaki, as well."

Genoh glanced at her for a moment, and then turned his attention to Tenchi. "Of course. My apologies, Masaki-sama."

Tenchi waved a hand dismissively. "Just call me Tenchi," he said, relaxed. "When it's not a formal situation, like now, it's really fine."

The Laruma blinked, apparently taken off-guard. He covered by clapping his hands once, summoning his aide. The aide in question was a boy, younger than Genoh, but with similar features. His own guardians were absent, and he bore a heavy ledger, quill poised to scribe. "Yes?" he asked hesitantly.

Genoh gestured to the boy, explaining, "My younger brother, Laruma Karau. He is aspiring to be the new clan historian, so I wished for him to be here for the occasion."

"What occasion?" Tenchi asked, frowning.

"Why, the naming of the new planet, of course. 'Cyaga-2' is a name that's somewhat lacking, you must admit."

Tenchi frowned dourly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Genoh," he said frankly, "I have a lot to do - my people are still almost all trapped on our planet, and I need to spend every moment I can fighting in the only way that I have right now to get them back. Please, what's this all about?"

Genoh colored slightly and gestured towards the planet once more. "Ah ... right. Sorry, then. We're asking you for your aid in the endeavor, to open a Gate via the Throne. We've assembled something many years ago in the Masagari system, and need help to transport them here."

"Assembled what?" Tenchi asked guardedly, uncrossing his arms to let them drop to his sides.

"A pair of monopoles, each of them a grand sixty thousand kilometers in length."

Tenchi raised an eyebrow, though Ayeka guessed that there would be no way for Tenchi to know what a monopole was. Ryouko looked at Genoh curiously, her attention caught for the moment. "So," the new emperor drawled, "what do you plan to do with them?"

Staring blankly, Genoh was only able to blink for a long moment. "Oh," he said, catching himself and looking at the planet again. "We intend to sink the poles into the giant, using them to force its magnetic fields to a stable standard. They'll anchor against Cyaga's sun's own magnetic fields, thus shielding the moon's magnetosphere over the course of some years - and incidentally supplying any local colonies enough power and fuel to easily become self sufficient within a few decades at most."

Tenchi sighed, turning away from Genoh, to look at the screen again. "Years is a long time," he grumbled.

"But the magnetic fields would be adjusted almost instantly," Ryouko pointed out. "The tidal forces would take forever to sort themselves out from within the planet's own atmospheres, but if you're overriding the magnetic fields with your own, the change is nearly instantaneous."

"Exactly right," Genoh agreed, nodding quickly. "We'll have to adjust the moon's magnetosphere ourselves, to perfect it, but we can easily adjust Cyaga-2's rotation to be stable, and mimic the rotational periods of your own 'Earth', and then some terraforming to further perfect the planet's ecosystems... The point is, save that it's orbiting a gas giant, and then that star." Genoh paused to gesture to the nameless sun. "It should mimic the conditions of your own planet closely, since the gravity is one point ... ah ... zero five times your own planet's, even if the moon is somewhat larger itself." He paused again, considering, then nodded. "We're creating this world and system, once we move the monopoles into place, as a refuge and haven for the Amatera we're indebted to. We ask that you, as evidence suggests that you carry some Amatera blood, name this moon for your people."

Tenchi stared at the planet for a long, silent moment, contemplating, and considering his answer before he spoke. "Terra Two," he said at length. "It's not home, but if you're willing to try to make it closer, I won't complain."

XXX

Screen after screen of information scrolled by, most of it far faster than any of the men in the small conference room could read. As the reams of information came to a sudden halt, the redheaded scientist pointed to a specific chart with a short stick, explaining calmly, "The decoy will not be activated until we reach Shanghai - three days from now - and remove as many innocents to safety as possible. Satellite imagery suggests that the city is deserted, and because of that, intact. I'm not yet sure where the Chinese government moved the populous, but with the city essentially at our disposal, I should be able to create - within a day or so of arrival - a Gate with enough range to take everyone to, say, Australia. Then we can activate the decoy, taking a much smaller and faster moving force to the Joketsuzoku controlled territory, which is ... here." She gestured to the Bayankhala mountain range.

Norris shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "So we're going to have to abandon our fleet, aren't we?" he asked.

Washuu nodded, staring at the screen. "I'm afraid so. It's simply not feasible for me to try and devise a way to move the entire fleet ashore. I could do it, but we lack the lab I'd need to do it quickly, and I'm going to be busy enough creating a Gateway to Australia."

To Norris's left, Patterson spoke up, "Couldn't we just use your 'Gate' to head immediately to the 'Joketsuzoku' territory?"

The scientist blinked, considering, then answered, "Well, it's possible, yes, but I wanted to leave the Gate set to Australia, so that we could send any refugees we found to it, allowing them to evacuate. And taking the beacon through the Gate would hinder its effectiveness."

"Isn't there a risk that the reavers could use it, too?" Norris added, eyeing the map skeptically.

"Yes, it's entirely possible, but for that, I can simply add a sign and a button - the reavers won't know how to activate the Gate, even if it's just a simple button-press. So refugees can activate the Gate safely and we can send people to it without worry. But the beacon should distract them from that being an issue." Washuu nodded to herself, rubbing absently at the bracelet on her right wrist.

The bracelet that allowed her to speak with Ranma, Norris remembered. "That seems more reasonable than trying to have everyone walk," he allowed. "I'm not exactly keen on abandoning the fleet, but if what you say is true, they won't last long anyway."

Cologne shrugged, speaking up from where she had remained so far, mostly in silence, "Weapons are tools, and when their time comes to an end, you must set them aside."

Norris nodded. "I understand that," he said, "but I've a sworn duty. I'll follow you, and I'll lay odds most of my men will as well. Any who don't can be sent to Australia with the duty of policing the people." He paused, eyeing the charts. "We have three days before we reach land, and I understand that you've created a distiller - I've had it set on a smaller fishing boat, and we're using it to make water drops throughout the fleet, supplementing our own contributions." The man raked a hand through his hair, shaking his head and setting his military cap on the table before him. "I must say, you have our most profound gratitude - this is an ill conceived mission, and we'd likely not make it without your help."

"Don't be so sure we'll make it anyway," Washuu muttered dourly. "We still have to fight the reavers, and I haven't yet come up with anything we can do to make your ordinance any more effective against them."

Patterson frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What about some kind of higher velocity HEAP round?" he asked.

Washuu hedged for a moment, unsure, then explained slowly, "I don't know if I can change what you have enough to be a significant threat to the reavers ... it would take an immeasurably dense shell to pierce their carapace, and conventional explosives would do minimal damage, at best."

"Well," Norris offered thoughtfully, "we have three Phalanx CIWS onboard the ship-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Norris," Washuu said respectfully, "I'm not familiar with that."

"Oh, ah, Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems. They're twenty-millimeter cannons about the ship - they can fire nearly five thousand rounds per minute, and use APDS - sorry, Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot, Depleted Uranium sub-caliber rounds. I suppose the forward-looking infrared and auto-tracking systems would be useless to you, but surely something that powerful would be able to stop a reaver."

The scientist seemed confused for the merest moment, then shrugged, summoning the transparent console she consulted with when in doubt. "How much force do they impact with?" she asked. "What's the approximate surface area of a round?"

"I'm not sure," Patterson picked up, when Norris was unable to answer, "but they can punch through triple strength battleship plating. That's enough to stop a reaver, isn't it?"

"I doubt it," Washuu said dryly. "A bigger gun isn't the answer, and if it is, then they'll just develop thicker hides because of it - you'd need baby black holes as projectiles to accomplish what you want, and I'm not even willing to consider development in those areas. What can stop them at the moment is radiation, and intense cold. Unless I miss my guess, those are two forces that the reavers are unable to counter."

Norris waved a hand dismissively, confidently stating, "We have nuclear strike capabilities. Nukes will stop reavers, won't they?"

Washuu frowned doubtfully. "I really don't like that idea very much. They're a dangerous and primitive weapons, at best..." She trailed off, smiling brightly. "The lasers. We can have Ranma bring them down - we don't have the position, but if I can recode them manually... I can reassemble the nuclear weapons you have to power them!"

Norris and Patterson exchanged a glance. "You think that you can create some kind of laser gun for us to use? We're Navy, not Army ... but if you think it can stop a reaver, I'm game," Norris declared, not giving Patterson a chance to object. "As I've said before, you're our best chance of getting through this alive."

"I don't know if that will work as you've envisioned it, but I can try, right?" Washuu smiled, glancing at Cologne before tapping her bracelet. "Ranma?" she said quietly. "If you've got a moment, can you please lend me a hand with something?"

A tingling surge in her senses, and the soft sensation of displaced air rushing across her met the request, as Ranma teleported to her side, casting about warily and rubbing the gem in his wrist. "Yeah?" he asked. "What do you need?" Ran-oh-ki rested uneasily atop his head, making a soft noise as he tried to nap.

Washuu blinked, glancing briefly at Cologne again before turning back to Ranma. "Ranma, do you remember the satellites that were used to slow the reavers down?"

"'Course I remember," Ranma grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was only yesterday. What about them?"

Washuu took a deep, slow breath. "Ranma, I'd like you to go get them and bring them back intact."

Ranma scratched the back of his head, frowning. "I dunno," he said warily. "They're pretty high up, and from what I hear, space is a pretty big place. Will the rat help me find them?" His partner growled at the comment, but made no further move to respond.

She nodded thoughtfully, eyeing Ranma up and down again. "Yes, your partner should be able to spot them easily - you can keep in touch with me through your gem, if you have any questions."

The boy blinked at her, frowning. "How?" he asked. "I can live without air just fine, but I think I still need it to talk, don't I?"

Washuu smiled, then shook her head, explaining, "You'll see when you get there ... it should be completely safe, and I think Yosho wanted to talk to you when you came back. Something about training."

"Oh?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, then, I guess I'll go get the satellites for you. Where do you want me to put them?"

"In the lab that Norris-san has set aside for me, where Ran-oh-ki ate the remnants of the two jet fighters, if they fit. Otherwise, the deck is fine."

Ranma nodded easily, floating into the air a short distance, but pausing to look at Cologne. "Go on, Son," she said, making a shoeing motion with one hand as he waited. "Hurry back, and if you impress Yosho, maybe I'll teach you a new trick."

With no sound at all, Ranma vanished. Norris shook his head, wondering. "What kind of power does that boy possess?" he asked sternly, eyeing Washuu. "And is it dangerous to us?"

The scientist bristled, but Cologne spoke before she could. "Only as dangerous as a single man in charge of an entire fleet is," she remarked casually.

Norris held his tongue, considering that.

XXX

Ranma teleported above the clouds over the fleet, eyeing the coast of Japan in the distance, and the shining blue expanses of ocean surrounding the ships below. One hand rose to cautiously pluck Ran-oh-ki from atop his head, tucking the creature in the crook of his arm. "Okay," he said shakily. "Let's see just how far we can jump, eh, rat?"

Ran-oh-ki made a quiet mewling noise, as Ranma pointed at the moon, faintly visible off the horizon. "I'm going to go as far in that direction as I can," he declared resolutely.

The familiar sense of displacement surged through him, more powerful this time than it had once been, and when it left him, he found himself with a mouthful of incredibly dusty and dry grit. "Bleah!" he spat, pushing himself off the sandy gray surface to float a short distance away from it.

"Where the hell is this?" he grunted, as Ran-oh-ki burrowed out from a particularly lumpy mound of dirt, bright eyes staring about in confusion. "Okay," Ranma allowed, as Ran-oh-ki leapt into his arms after shaking and loosing the dust in his fur. "I messed that one up. Where do you think we are?"

The pair of them peered about the landscape. Broken gray stone and largely featureless dusty plain surrounded him, lending Ranma an eerie sense of deja vu. Ran-oh-ki mewled angrily, clawing his way up to Ranma's shoulder to glare about and hiss at nothing in particular.

Ranma shivered, knowing what his partner was thinking without needing to test the link. "Yeah," he said, "this place is dead, isn't it?"

Ran-oh-ki nodded without looking at Ranma. On a sudden impulse, Ranma slowly looked up.

And beheld, shining directly above him, more beautiful than any sight he had seen before, the Earth, momentarily at peace, and gloriously pristine in its beauty.

He felt, more than sensed through the link, Ran-oh-ki's hackles lower, as his partner gazed at the sight in the same admiration. The line of shadow from the Earth - daylight passing into darkness - was the sunset, far east of Japan.

Washuu's voice sounded, as Ranma belatedly jerked his attention away from the sight. "Yeah, Washuu?" he asked, voice slightly thickened at the sight of his home, for the first time seen from outside.

"Ranma? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Uh," Ranma hesitantly admitted, "I wanted to test out how far I could teleport..."

"And?" Washuu asked patiently.

"I shot for the moon," he mumbled.

For a long moment, Washuu was entirely silent, but when she spoke again, there was a telltale trace of amusement in her tone. "Oh, well, you have a bit more range than I expected you to have given your current level of maturity, but be careful not to go too far. Your partner should be able to tell you where you are in relation to Earth instantly."

Ran-oh-ki made a quiet, guilty noise, as the blue gem in his forehead winked, and Ranma's mind was flooded with information about the planet and the moon beneath him. "Oh," he said, dizzied from the rush of knowledge. "I see where I am, now ... I could teleport anywhere, like this," he mused.

"The satellites?" Washuu reminded him gently.

"Oh, uh, hey, I can sense them, this'll be easy." With that, he again traveled without moving, halting some distance between Earth and the moon. The seas were spread below him, to his right, and to his left, the bulk of Asia. Japan was little more than a large block of land, easily dwarfed by the titanic landmass to the west. He shook his head sadly and turned his attention to the three satellites in tight formation only a short distance beneath him.

Sleek, black, and lined with tiny winking lights and solar panels, the satellites looked to be compact, sturdy affairs that spoke of danger from their very designs. Each had a decently sized dish for receiving signal from below, and then a much more sinister and tightly compact cylinder that was rimmed in small spiky needles. The tubes spoke of danger and death; Ranma knew instinctively that they were the weapons he was looking for. Ran-oh-ki had informed him of the locations of other things in the space above the Earth - weather satellites and the like, he assumed - and things that his partner had named.

Whatever they had named themselves. "'Mishima-00 AVGR'," he mused, wondering how Ran-oh-ki had known to name it. Indeed, when he looked closely, there was a small plaque on the side of the satellite bearing the name, branding, and contact information. "'For service, contact Paul Durant'," he mumbled, tracing the brass lettering gently with his fingertips. "Huh. I wonder how much these things weigh," he pondered, sizing up the satellite again.

Easily five meters across, and another ten in height, it wasn't small by any stretch. Shaped like a smooth ovoid, save for the breaks where the barrel of the laser and the small dish sat, and smaller ports that he couldn't identify, he guessed they would weigh quite a bit. He idly wished he could remember learning about outer space from school, but banished the wishful thoughts after a moment - anything he would have learned would likely turn to be irrelevant, as he was evidently able to surround himself with a small pocket of atmosphere.

"First time for everything," he mused, gripping it as well as he could near the base. Teleporting back to the ship left him more drained than he had initially expected, and the mass of steel and black ceramic in his hands grew heavy.

Only by straining and staggering backwards a half step across the deck was he able to maintain his hold, grunting. "Hey, Washuu," he wheezed, "where do you want me to put..." He trailed off, as the weight suddenly reversed, leaving the satellite to float a few inches above the deck.

Blinking, he stepped back staring upwards. Ran-oh-ki sat comfortably atop the structure, peering down at Ranma with a somehow smug-seeming expression. Washuu spoke from behind him, "Oh, well, I was thinking a few more meters to your left, but that'll do, Ranma." He spun to watch the woman, eyeing the satellite closely and attended by a good number of official looking men in uniform. Behind her were the rows of refugees in their tents, a few of them staring with jaws agape at the boy that had appeared, ten meter steel ovoid in tow on the deck.

He tried to ignore them - enough time for worrying about that later. "Uh, okay, so the rat can keep it from falling. What about the other two?"

Washuu smirked, tossing a small disk to the deck beneath the satellite. The disk spun on edge directly beneath the satellite, each face marked with the scientist's signature brilliant red crab symbol. A slow glow suffused the satellite from below as Ran-oh-ki hopped to the deck, bouncing from it and up to Ranma's shoulder. The satellite remained suspended, revolving very slowly.

Ranma blinked, frowning. "What do you need this for, anyway?" he asked.

The red-haired woman clicked her tongue at him, already tapping away at her computer terminal. "Something that might give us a very slightly better chance, Ranma," she murmured. "I might be able to fashion some weapons for Norris and his men."

"That sounds good," Ranma agreed, nodding. "I'll get the others."

In short order, pausing with each visit to orbit to admire the Earth, Ranma had aligned the three satellites in a neat row, though he was worried at the high number of red lights from unit 02. Washuu frowned at it, confirming Ranma's suspicions that the lights were a bad sign. "Drat," she grumbled, looking at some of the indecipherable streams of data on her computer screen.

"What's wrong?" Ranma asked, moments before Norris could do the same.

Washuu waved a hand dismissively, as Ran-oh-ki inquisitively leapt from Ranma's shoulder to nuzzle her ankle. She smiled at the creature for a moment, then returned to frowning at the display. "Well," she said, eyes flickering about the screen as she considered, "it should be something I can repair. It just tells me that these weapons are much more delicate than I'd like them to be."

Ranma frowned thoughtfully, staring at the constructs, while his partner began sniffing curiously at the first of the undamaged pair. Nuku bounced out of the mass of refugee tents, distracting Ranma, trailed by a small crowd of giggling children.

He watched her until she crossed the distance between the two, catching her easily as she launched into a hug that would have toppled him, were he not braced for it. "Ranma-papa-san!" she caroled happily. "Are you feeling better now? Nuku-Nuku doesn't like when papa-san is unhappy." She frowned, peering closely into his eyes, searching for some sign of unhappiness.

Smiling softly, Ranma ruffled her hair. "Nah, I'm fine, Atsuko. Who're the kids?" he asked, as she released the hug, and turned to look at the children. For their part, the children had paused in a small cluster - five of them, he noted - to stare at Ranma with something akin to awe.

"Oh!" Nuku squealed happily, pointing to them. "These are Nuku-Nuku's new friends, they were playing tag with Nuku-Nuku!" She paused, suddenly worried, and looked at Ranma with concern. "Can Nuku-Nuku play with them, Ranma-papa-san?"

Off-balance from the pleading gaze the girl shot to him, Ranma nodded swiftly. "Of course. Why couldn't you?"

"Thank you, papa-san!" Nuku chirped, not answering his question, and bounding back to the tents, followed by four of the giggling children.

The last remained, and Ranma became aware that Norris and his men, and Washuu, had fallen silent, studying the interaction. Nervous and confused about being the center of attention, Ranma glanced at them for a bare moment, turning his attention to the one child remaining. A slightly dirty little boy - though Ranma wondered where he had found dirt so far at sea - probably no more than six years old, with sandy blond hair. "Are you a monster?" he asked suddenly in infantile English, though Ranma only understood through the translator.

"Yeah," he said after a long moment, noting the silence from Norris's group and Washuu. "I am."

"But," the child declared knowingly, "you fought the bad monsters, so you must be a _good_ monster!"

Ranma scratched behind his ear nervously, managing a weak smile. "I like to think so," he said softly.

"Yes," the child said, nodding again, "you're the good guy, 'cause you stop the bad monsters. I want to be like you when I grow up!" With that, the child spun and darted back towards the tents, disappearing long before Ranma could collect his wits and regain his composure.

XXX

Washuu smiled at the departing child, then again at Ranma as he stood dumbstruck at the child's words. Perhaps, just perhaps, the scientist thought, the child's words would help in a capacity that her own had failed.

Turning her attention back to Norris, she explained, "I have to rework these so that they will be small enough to be carried by hand and ensure that they don't have any disastrous side-effects towards your own men."

Norris nodded quickly in agreement. "I don't need a weapon that kills us as easily as the enemy."

"Oh, it's no less dangerous," Washuu said, shaking her head. "Make sure you trust who you assign whatever weapons I make from these. Oh, and I'll need access to your nuclear weapons so that I can build power-supplies."

The American men stared at her flatly for a long moment, before Norris grudgingly allowed, "I'm not thrilled at the prospect, but not trusting you won't benefit any of us."

Washuu's smile returned as she stared at the three monolithic constructs on the deck before her. "Okay, first, I'm going to need to add a few things to the lab you gave me..."

Norris groaned quietly.

XXX

Yosho awaited Ranma's approach, hands clasped calmly behind him. Ranma glanced at the man, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Hello, Ranma," Yosho said genially, producing a pair of bokken. "I'd like, if you're willing, to train you a little more in the art of the blade."

Ranma stared at the bokken, silent for a moment. "I learned kendo," he said slowly. "Pops had me learn a few basics from some people he knew in Japan when I was a kid."

Yosho nodded approval, handing one of the bokken to Ranma. "That's good, it should help a bit in learning what I want to teach you. What style of kendo did you learn, if I might ask?"

Swinging the bokken experimentally, Ranma easily replied, "I learned the Hyoho Niten Ichi, and Yagyu Shinkage schools."

"Yagyu Shinkage, you say?" Yosho asked quietly.

Ranma nodded. "Pops knew someone who was out and down on his luck, and still taught the Edo variant, and he was willing to teach me in exchange for Pop's help rebuilding his dojo."

"I'm impressed," Yosho admitted.

Grinning toothily, Ranma shrugged, waving the bokken experimentally. "Yeah, well, Pops said-" He broke off suddenly, silent, for a quiet moment, then shook away the emotion and resumed, "He said that I should know how to use weapons - all of them, at least a little bit - and if I knew them better, I'd be able to fight against them better without weapons."

Yosho nodded judiciously, slipping into the basic stance of the Masaki style. "Very well, Ranma. What I'm going to teach you is a secret traditionally only passed through the sons of the Masaki family."

Ranma perked up, interest in his eyes. "It's a secret school?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Yosho said, measuring his words carefully. "I have taught what I wish to show you to only one person in my years, and that was my grandson, Tenchi. Obviously, I'll need to wait until I can be sure no one else can see us before I teach you any of the deeper secrets, but I can show you some of the basics right now."

The warrior had no need to tell Ranma how much the offer to teach the secret art meant insofar as trust. The boy seemed to grasp it instantly, and raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "How old are you?" he asked curiously.

Yosho grinned unabashedly. "Old enough to have met the founders of both the schools of kendo you know, Ranma. Now, prepare yourself!"

With that, Ranma slipped into a defensive stance, somewhere between the two schools he had learned, and barely managed to deflect Yosho's initial strike, failing completely to block the next four strikes as they battered him to the ground.

"Not bad," Yosho said, offering a hand to Ranma as he lay on the deck, shocked and dazed.

"Whoa," Ranma said, climbing to his feet quickly with Yosho's assistance. "That was fast..."

Yosho smirked, but hid the expression quickly behind a mask of patience. "I've got a lot more experience, Ranma. It'll take you some time to reach my level. Now, your level of control is impressive enough that I'll spare you the more basic drills. Watch my feet; I want you to copy this stance..."

XXX

Ami watched Ranma train. The boy, despite his odd ears, sharply pointed teeth, and nearly glowing eyes, possessed a certain savage beauty, and an even more savage grace.

The deck's uneasy quiet was broken by the repeated collisions of the practice blades as he and Yosho sparred, though in Ami's eyes, it was more Yosho beating on Ranma with a stick. Every so often Ranma would rise from being beaten to the ground and nod thoughtfully, suggesting that he, at least, found the training educational.

It was not her preferred method of learning, but she had to admit that she was impressed with his dedication. At her side, Rei watched as well, her eyes unfocused enough to tell Ami that any anger Rei bore for Ranma grabbing her in the prior night's battle was entirely forgiven.

She lowered herself to sit on the deck of the ship, and a moment later, Rei joined her. "Wow," the black-haired girl commented, watching Ranma and Yosho flow through stances side-by side, between sparring matches. It was a slow, incredibly slow process to watch, but Ranma was actually learning to deflect more and more of Yosho's attacks. Though, in Ami's estimation, it would take ages at Ranma's rate to actually score a hit on the man.

"Hmm?" Ami noised guardedly. The situation between the Senshi was somewhat tense at the moment, though none faulted Makoto beyond making a simple mistake.

Rei shook her head, absently brushing back a stray strand of black hair as she continued to watch the men square off. "I'm impressed," she admitted after a moment. "Look at how fast they are... How carefully they move. I thought..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I thought he was a monster the first time we saw him - that he was trying to kidnap Hotaru..." She sighed suddenly, cocking her head to look at Ami directly. "But after ... what we were told, I do feel sorry for him."

Ami pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I do not know that he would like to hear that," she opined. "He's very strong, you must admit, to have weathered what he has. The story that Hibiki-san and his friend have told us... I suspect that there's more that either they don't know, or refuse to speak of. They never _did_ explain why Ranma-san acted so strangely in the battle against the reavers." Or why he had no family name, but Ami remembered the night of the battle and Ranma's angry comments along those lines well enough not to ask. Likely, the other Senshi who had witnessed would know to hold their tongues in that regard, as well.

Squinting, Rei turned to study Ranma again. "I suppose so," she said after a moment. "He is pretty strong to still be fighting after all that."

The two fell silent, simply watching, until Minako drifted to sit with them, watching Ranma studiously. "Wow," the blonde said, without preamble, "he'd make a great Senshi, if he were a girl."

Rei snickered softly, glancing towards the newcomer briefly, before turning back to watch Ranma train. "A new senshi? I don't think he'd like hearing that nearly as much," she whispered.

Minako pouted, saying, "I think I got that one right, even if I sometimes get all the small things wrong."

Ami shook her head, smiling softly herself as Ranma and Yosho broke apart. Neither seemed exhausted, but an air of slight fatigue still hung over them.

Yosho smiled broadly and nodded his approval, speaking something too quietly for the girls to hear, and Ranma shrugged, following the older man away from their training area on the rear of the ship. The same place that Ranma had battled Ryu, as Ami remembered vividly.

The crater from Ryu's impact was a short distance behind the girls, directly in the path of Ranma and Yosho as they strode forward. Yosho paused within a few paces of the girls, who hurriedly rose to their feet. As they stood, Yosho nodded at them dubiously, asking, "What brings you here?"

"Ah, Yosho-san," Ami said quickly, before Minako had a chance to answer. "We've come to apologize to Ranma-san."

Ranma blinked, and Yosho frowned very slightly. "What for?" Ranma asked guardedly.

Ami bowed her head apologetically, explaining, "Makoto-chan overreacted, and she shouldn't have ... done what she did. I'm very sorry that she lost her temper."

Ranma looked away, his expression colored angrily. "Not her fault. She saw someone she cared about getting beaten up by a monster," he grumbled. "I'd probably do the same thing."

"Um," Minako interrupted, before Ranma could walk away, "I don't think you're a monster." Ranma blinked at her, and she smiled in return, winking as she added, "If you are, you're one of the cutest monsters I've ever seen!"

Ranma stared, unsure of how to take that, while Rei added her own words. "I admit, I was a little angry that you thought that we needed to be protected ... but I know that you're doing your best to stop the ... reavers? I know that you're fighting them, and I'm sorry that this happened, too."

Collecting his wits, Ranma shook his head, edging slightly away, while Yosho simply watched the exchange carefully. "It's not your fault," the boy said simply. "I guess, no hard feelings." With that, he strode away, followed shortly by Yosho.

Rei frowned, looking after the pair as they wandered off, and mused aloud, "Is he sure? I still don't think he's happy with us."

"Well," Minako spoke philosophically, "they say that time heals all words."

Ami sighed, shaking her head. "That's close enough, I suppose."

XXX

Michiru sat on one edge of a bed in the infirmary, just across the room from Makoto and Ryu, Haruka pacing slowly before them. Hotaru sat on the bed with Michiru, watching the both of them tiredly.

Haruka came to an abrupt halt, turning to look at her green-tressed companion. "What do you suppose we should do?" she mused. "We need to apologize to this 'Ranma', right? I suppose it didn't help very much when we overreacted a bit to Hotaru being alone with him."

Nodding slowly, Michiru ran a hand through Hotaru's hair, carefully smoothing a mussed strand back into place. "Yes," she said faintly, sounding distracted and distant. "We probably didn't help matters, but what can we do to sort things back out?"

Hotaru smiled softly, cocking her head to one side and glancing at Makoto surreptitiously. "I have an idea," she said quietly. "Can I try talking to him?"

Michiru frowned dubiously, but looked to Haruka for guidance. For her part, Haruka was uncomfortable with the idea. She didn't trust any boys around Hotaru in general, and non-human demon-boys that were apparently strong enough to withstand Senshi attacks were worse. Never mind the oddity of his apparently confused gender.

"I don't know," Haruka said slowly. "I suppose if we go with you..."

Hotaru pouted fiercely, sniffling. "You don't trust me?"

Haruka and Michiru winced in tandem. The girl was not given to tantrums or begging, generally, but she had a wicked finesse for having her way when she truly wanted it. Deciding to save herself some modicum of trouble, Haruka offered a compromise. "Okay, Hotaru-chan, just ... be careful, and don't talk to him alone."

"That's okay," Hotaru assured them, "I'll talk to him with his daughter!"

Michiru's face turned pale. "Ranma has a daughter?"

Surprisingly, it was Makoto who answered, just then sitting on her cot and starring at her feet dejectedly. "I think so. She calls him 'Ranma-papa-san' ... but then, Hotaru calls you 'papa-san', doesn't she?"

Hotaru beamed a smile at Makoto and nodded confirmation.

"I think we should investigate further," Haruka opined. "I know, I know ... we have to apologize to him, we have to work with him ... but... I'm sorry, I've never met him beyond that one glimpse, and what little I've heard about him."

Jumping down from the bed carefully, Hotaru shrugged. "Mako-chan?" she asked. "Can you help me with something?"

Haruka would dearly have loved to listen closer, but was distracted by Setsuna. The woman had an oddly pale expression as she strode through the door and beckoned both Haruka and Michiru to follow her.

Michiru shrugged, attending swiftly as Setsuna marched down the hall a short distance and stopped abruptly, turning to regard the two others frankly. "What's wrong?" Haruka asked.

Setsuna waved a hand, furtively glancing around to make sure that they were - for the moment - unobserved. "Okay," she said in a low tone, "I thought I'd left well enough alone, but irreparable damage might have been done to the time stream, given recent events."

Both Michiru and Haruka nodded, understanding easily Setsuna's meaning. "However," the woman continued, "when I used the Time Gate to see what damage was done to Crystal Tokyo..." She paused, heaving a shuddering breath. "I don't understand it, entirely, but the road is both cleared _and_ more tenuous."

"What?" Haruka asked, not quite following. "How can it be both?"

Setsuna shook her head, obviously frustrated. "As far as I can tell," she grumbled in annoyance, "the recent events are putting us on course for what _should_ happen next, even though our route is becoming more dangerous."

Michiru nodded thoughtfully. "So this is supposed to have happened?"

Nodding unhappily, Setsuna explained, "What Yosho told us might actually be true. I don't know _how_ ... and I don't _want_ to believe it, but impossibly enough, it seems true. Somehow, these 'Juraians' that he spoke of are part of the destiny that will eventually lead us to Crystal Tokyo."

"And the Great Ice," Michiru noted.

"We don't know that for certain - it might not happen," Setsuna countered, warding the mention off with a wave of her hand. "Now, if you remember, I was looking for an answer to what damage was done in the past with our friend, the rogue time-traveler."

Haruka shook her head. "No, I don't remember," she muttered, unhappy at Setsuna's easy dismissal of the possible Silence.

Setsuna blinked, then quickly explained the story to the pair. "After that, I returned here, but seeing... Seeing Usagi change, I decided to see if I could consult with my future self on current events."

"And?" Michiru prompted, growing impatient.

"I've found the damage," Setsuna sighed, exasperated, "but there's no way I can remove it. Unfortunately, the damage is now _integral_ towards preserving Crystal Tokyo."

"What is the 'damage', anyway?" Haruka asked, exchanging a worried glance with Michiru.

Setsuna produced a worn, ancient scroll. "I took this from a building in Tokyo that was destroyed yesterday," she explained, unfurling it and pointing to the very first listing.

"It's a family register," Haruka noted dutifully.

"Yes," Setsuna sighed, shaking her head, "and the first name on the register is Higurashi Kagome, who married an Inu-Yasha, in ... fifteen hundred thirty-two."

"Uh-huh," Michiru commented disinterestedly.

Haruka nodded her agreement to Michiru's impatience. "What are you trying to tell us, Setsuna?" she asked.

Setsuna rolled her eyes, pointing further down the list. "As you can see here," she said, "a descendant, Higurashi Kaneda married one ... Saotome Hikaru."

Both Haruka and Michiru exchanged a glance, turning back to look at Setsuna and asking in tandem, "And?"

Furling the scroll back carefully, Setsuna chastised, "Don't you remember who 'Kagome' and 'Inu-Yasha' were? The amateur time-traveler?"

"Oh," Michiru said, frowning thoughtfully. "But what does that change?"

"Two things," Setsuna grumbled in irritation. "Firstly, Inu-Yasha was the amateur time-traveler's pet half-demon. That means that her bloodline likely contains the blood of demons."

Haruka paused, considering, and frowned darkly. "Saotome ... okay, well, do we know any Saotome? And what risks does that pose upon us, anyway?"

"I don't know entirely," Setsuna admitted. "Five hundred years would do an awful lot to dilute the bloodline to the point of ... well, probably negligibility."

"Of course," Michiru said disinterestedly. "I'm still not seeing the point of all this, though."

"Well, Kagome charged her descendants - all of them - to become as skilled and proficient as possible in all forms of the martial arts, specifically to be strong enough to fight the reavers. While the reason was apparently forgotten, the duty was not. It's a reasonable assumption that if we _can_ find another 'Saotome' - the last name recorded on _this_ scroll is a Saotome Genma - we'll have an ally that can see us through this mess without having to rely on ... Ranma. According to my future self, at least, our success depends on allying with whoever it is that this scroll should lead us to."

"Oh," Haruka mumbled, considering. It was true that having a human ally would be a tremendous advantage over the dubious aid of the entirely unknown Ranma... "Okay, well, how do we find him? Or her?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Setsuna admitted. "A lot of my resources are tapped out, but I'll see what I can dig up. In the meantime, you two can see what you can find out."

Michiru and Haruka nodded, slowly formulating a plan.

XXX

Nuku eyed the two girls before her warily. One of them she thought she could trust - she smelled nice and looked friendly. The other one... The other one had _hurt_ her Ranma, and she didn't trust _that_ one very much at all...

But it would be mean to ignore both of them, simply because she didn't trust the one - and the first smelled too honest to be mean to. "Okay," she said at length, curious. "What do you want to do for Ranma-papa-san?"

The brown-haired girl rubbed at her eyebrows, frowning thoughtfully. "Well," she began, glancing around, "I think I need ... need to apologize to Ranma-san for what I did. And right now, we think this is the best way to make that apology."

Nuku nodded slowly, allowing, "Okay. But Nuku-Nuku gets to help!"

XXX

"Anyway," Ranma grumbled, "I _am_ feeling a bit hungry ... where do you think we can find some food around here?"

"Well," Yosho mused, "there's probably some kind of cafeteria or mess hall for the soldiers here, but..." The man trailed off, blinking with Ranma at the sight that awaited them next.

Nuku, Hotaru, and Makoto stood in a neat row, each carrying a large, carefully wrapped bento. Makoto looked guilty, unable to meet his eyes, while Hotaru and Nuku simply grinned with a childish, gleeful innocence. "Um," Ranma drawled, "this is new ... what's going on here?"

Makoto spoke first, taking a hesitant step closer. "I... I wanted to apologize, and ... I know it's not much, but I..." She trailed off, swallowing nervously. Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, "I'm really sorry I lost my temper and made you this to apologize and I didn't even make Ryu anything so please take it!" With that, she held the box forward, bowing her head.

Ranma blinked, stunned, while Hotaru chimed in, "I made you lunch too, Ranma-san, Mako-chan taught me!"

"Nuku-Nuku made Ranma-papa-san something to eat, too!" Nuku exclaimed happily.

"Uh..." Ranma managed, stalling for a moment, as Cologne arrived, followed by Mousse - who was carrying a large 'Nekohanten' delivery box. Ryouga trailed behind shortly, offering Ranma a wry grin.

The old woman eyed the three girls with their proffered lunches and smirked widely. "I see my idea wasn't so original after all," she commented.

"You're telling me," a new voice added from behind Ranma. "I thought I was the only one who would be thoughtful enough!" The boy turned around, seeing Washuu carrying a covered tray of her own. She offered him a sardonic grin, explaining, "Can't blame a girl for trying!"

Ranma looked around slowly, noting the younger girls growing nervousness as they waited for him to make some kind of choice, and the three other girls from earlier approaching curiously. A choice, where he was expected to pick just one.

"Okay," he said slowly, considering his options very carefully. "Give me a second..." Coming to a swift decision, he stepped forward, taking the bento from Makoto and asking, "Why don't we all share what's here? I bet there's more than enough to go around."

Yosho smirked, slapping Ranma on the shoulder companionably, and was the first to take a seat, followed shortly by Nuku, and then Cologne and Ryouga. Mousse bowed low to Ranma, careful not to drop the container, and sat at the old woman's side, while Washuu took a seat at Ranma's own side.

Ranma sank to the ground slowly, shaking his head in thought. "I wasn't expecting this," he said ruefully.

"Kindness is never to be expected, and always to be accepted," Yosho commented, as Ryouga produced a number of paper cups, and a large jug of water.

"Exactly!" Minako answered from her seat near Ami and Rei. "It rains when you're poor!"

Ranma snorted, uncovering the first bentos and asking loudly, "Is anyone here familiar with the technique ... 'gourmet de foie gras'?"

At the unanimous headshakes, he grinned, whirling his chopsticks in the air expertly. "This should be interesting," he commented, flexing slightly and setting to work. Less than three seconds later, everyone had a surprising mouthful of the contents of the bento. Ranma swallowed his own portion and grinned.

"That's pretty good." For a moment, he nearly forgot that the girl who had made the meal for him had only an hour or so prior shot a bolt of lightning at him, but when the memory returned, he dismissed it. She hadn't meant it, as she said, and he'd taken proportionately worse from Ryouga, or even Mousse on occasion.

"Hmm," Washuu mumbled, sipping at her water after she recovered from the surprise. "This brings an entirely new meaning to 'feeding your guests.' Tell me, Ranma, are all your meals like this?"

Ryouga answered while Ranma expertly served out the next round, his movements too fast for the others to see. "Nah, I've seen him _muprh_-" Ryouga snickered, pausing to chew and swallow, then continued, "I've seen him before. Usually his meals degenerate into challenge matches."

"One of them leading to a chase deep in China," Ranma remembered aloud.

"Er..." Ryouga began nervously. "I, uh... I don't think I can really hold that against you anymore," he confessed.

"Aside from which," Cologne noted, "the Spring of Drown Man should cure you when we reach the Joketsuzoku territory."

Ryouga brightened instantly. "Really?"

"Of course!" Cologne said, rolling her eyes. "Turning into a little pig in cold water would be something of a ... hindrance ... in battle with a reaver, wouldn't it?"

Glancing at the girls, who were blinking and watching with completely undisguised interest, Ryouga blushed, coughing, "Well, yeah, that's true..."

After the majority of the food had been eaten - the watermelons being used to tease Ran-oh-ki - everyone sat together, content for the moment. Ranma had been surprised at the nearly overwhelming generosity of his allies, and ... friends, he hoped. He was uncertain how to feel towards the 'senshi', but they were more honest, now, and that helped.

He supposed that it was impossibly to really fault them, given what they'd suffered through and how much everything had changed. Working with them had gone from a distant possibility to a very likely one, though he wasn't sure what harm they could do to reavers yet. The little one - despite her parent's probable opinion - had managed to destroy one, which impressed him. He'd had enough trouble killing them on his own ... a little help wouldn't be completely amiss.

XXX

Haruka stared after Setsuna as the woman marched briskly away. "Okay," she said evenly. "I don't have the slightest clue where we begin."

Michiru glanced about to make sure they were unobserved, and drew the Deep Aqua Mirror from a pocket. "We can ask this," she suggested, turning her attention to it. Haruka nodded, peering at the mirror curiously.

Focusing on the scroll and Setsuna's words, Michiru formed her question carefully, asking the mirror for guidance and help. Slowly, revealed from the swirling in the center of the mirror, an image came to light. A blue point of brightness, blazing against the darkness. The blue slowly shifted to green, and the darkness seemed to stiffen, swirling tendrils of a black morass shot through with white and blue, then shattering to fall away before the mists obscured the vision once more.

Haruka frowned, glancing to Michiru and then back to the mirror. "That doesn't tell us much," she grumbled. "Can you ask it something else?"

Michiru nodded, concentrating. What would help them? What could protect them from the threat they were facing?

Again the mists parted, this time showing a scene right out of a fantasy manga. A sword, ancient and rusted, its age-pitted surface chipped and worn, thrust point first into the ground, leaning against a sapling. Beneath the sapling, a faint hint of green, and behind the tree, more, giving the distinct impression of an ancient forest, though Michiru couldn't explain _why_ it felt ancient. Merely that it did.

A necklace of small stones hung from the hilt of the sword, swinging softly in an invisible breeze, and a large, lustrous pearl-like gem hung at the lowermost segment of the pendant. The image shimmered, and the gem vanished, leaving only the sword. Again, not knowing how she knew it, Michiru sensed that the gem was not nearly as important as the blade.

A soft, incredibly faint - nearly ethereal - voice began, singing a gentle lullaby too faintly for her to make out, but too persistent for her to ignore. The image wavered once, then shifted to the point of blue light again before it faded away.

"A sword?" Haruka asked, puzzled. "A really beat-up and ancient sword?"

"Haruka..." Michiru began slowly, discomfited by the singing and strange feelings, "I don't... I'm not sure what that was, but it felt important to me. Very important."

Nodding doubtfully, the blonde scrubbed a hand through her hair. "I suppose," she said at length. "Is that the best clue we're going to get? It's not much to go on."

"Maybe not, but I don't think we'll get better," Michiru countered. "What else can we do?"

"Well, if Tokyo were still around, we could search through legal channels..."

"I think if that can be done, Setsuna will do it."

"That's true," Haruka admitted. "We can trust her to manage that. What should we do, then?"

Michiru sighed, remembering the small ball of light vividly. "I suppose keep an eye out for little blue gems, and ancient rusty swords."

"Well, it's a start, I suppose..." Haruka grumbled.

XXX

After the meal had been completed, samples from all dishes having been served to everyone, Ranma slipped away. Not that it was hard for him, even if he was the center of attention. Teleportation and the ability to phase through things raised his stealth from their already considerable levels into a whole new world of potential.

He had used his speed - fast enough that none other than probably Cologne and Yosho would have been able to see it, and maybe Mousse and Ryouga if they were looking for it - to gather what he had wanted, wrap it, and sneak away. Ran-oh-ki's silence had been bought for a mere watermelon rind, leaving the creature to nap contentedly on Washuu's lap. Washuu herself had been caught up in a conversation with Cologne about the Amazons, and Nuku was chatting with Hotaru quietly.

Floating along the ceiling, wary of guards, Ranma slipped past the man with short blond hair - Hotaru's father, if his memory served - leaving himself a mental note to acquire something more subtle to walk around in. Once past the man, however, he slipped into the room he was looking for.

At least, he guessed it was the room he was looking for, by the proximity of Hotaru's apparent father. Once inside, he dropped to the floor and glanced about furtively. A short blonde girl rested on a hospital bed to his left, a man sitting in a chair at her side and apparently asleep. To his right, behind a hospital curtain, was another bed, this one holding Ryu as he stared at the ceiling.

When Ranma entered the room, Ryu's head snapped around and he glared at Ranma, then looked resolutely away, crossing his right arm - his left was handcuffed to the bed rail - over his chest. "What do you want?" he growled after a moment.

Ranma hesitated, then stepped past the curtain and levitated a short distance, sitting in the air. "This is for you," he said, lobbing a small wrapped package towards Ryu. One-handed and caught off-guard, Ryu still managed to catch it, staring at the small cloth-wrapped box in confusion. "It's yours," Ranma added. "Your, uh, girlfriend made most of it, some of it's from my daughter and a couple other people." He stared at Ryu, as Ryu's gaze dropped to the wrapped bento.

"Oh," he managed, after a moment, struggling to a sitting position. The handcuff slid along the rail, giving him enough room to sit, bento resting in his lap.

"So," Ranma asked conversationally, "how long are you going to be here?"

Ryu grunted, opening his meal and sampling a few bites. "She got better," he stated, lowering the chopsticks left in the box to regard Ranma levelly. "Until they figure out what to do with me. Seems like the guy in charge of this boat doesn't like me much and said that he'd have me up on charges if I were an American citizen. Or something like that. The translator was having a hard time keeping up."

Looking away from Ranma, Ryu sampled another portion of his meal, absently brushing a stray grain of rice from his lips. Ranma stared at his hands, gloved as they were. He hadn't touched anything with his bare hands since ... since... He frowned, thinking. It had only been yesterday that he was wearing normal clothes, not in the black skintight clothing he was clad in. "You know," he remarked absently, "I was asking about how soon you'd be okay."

Choking, Ryu, dropped his chopsticks and thumped his chest, wincing when he aggravated the cracked rib. "I've had worse," he answered honestly. "I'll be fine in a day or two. Hell, I would have won the fight..." He trailed off, watching Ranma and frowning dourly. "I'll be okay," he concluded lamely. "Why did you bring me something to eat, anyway?"

Ranma shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I guess it's just that I don't need more enemies right now; I have enough already."

"I'm not going to be your friend because you gave me food," Ryu warned, taking another bite. "Aside from which, this was from Makoto, not you."

"She made it for me to apologize," Ranma countered. "But that's not important. And I don't know you too well - if you don't want to be a friend, that's your problem. You know what is my problem, though?"

Ryu merely grunted curiously, fishing for a pickle near the bottom of the bento and eyeing Ranma skeptically.

"I think that I'd rather have you as an ally anyway."

"Easy," Ryu said, setting the bento down. "Give me the scrolls, and I'll do it."

Ranma answered nearly instantly, "Not a chance. They're my father's gift to me, regardless of family. It's personal, and I won the duel. You're not getting the scroll."

"Then, no deal," Ryu grumbled, returning to his meal again.

"What if I teach you what I learn from them?" Ranma asked cautiously.

Ryu froze, chopsticks midway to his mouth. "What?" he asked, not able to believe what he had heard.

"You'll never get the scrolls, but I'll teach you what I learn from them if you agree to fight with us."

Ryu stared at Ranma, hard, and blinked, shaking his head. "You're an idiot," he stated firmly. "That's all there is to it."

Ranma's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he held his temper in check. "What do you mean?"

"Look, if you think I'm just going to sit here and let all this happen without doing _something_, then you're wrong. I don't care about the scrolls as much as learning the Umisenken. That's what's important to me. I gotta get the scroll, then I'll have both halves of the school, and - according to the man who gave the scrolls to my father - I'll be able to build a dojo. I think in his own words it was, 'these are arts for life' ... or something like that."

Nodding, Ranma remained where he was, silently studying Ryu.

"I'll help," Ryu said after a moment of tense silence. "I can make my own copy of the Umisenken and the Yamasenken."

Ranma nodded again, lowering to the ground and extending a hand to Ryu. The other boy stared at him, considering, then grinned, and shook Ranma's hand. "I'm glad to have you fighting at my side," Ranma said. "Even if I don't like you much."

Ryu snorted, dropping Ranma's hand and quickly polishing off his lunch. "That's real nice," he mumbled around a mouthful of rice. Swallowing, he added, "I'm getting what I want, so no problems from me. But see if you can get them to take the handcuff off - I could break it, but I think that'd just make them mad."

Nodding in understanding, Ranma turned away, phasing through the curtain and nearly colliding with an eavesdropper. He blinked in surprise, then scowled at the blonde girl with the outlandishly odd hair. She waved her hands in a sudden apologetic flurry and mouthed several words without managing to utter a single one. Finally calming herself somewhat, she grabbed Ranma's wrist and tugged, trying to lead him as she trotted into the corridor.

Frowning darkly, Ranma allowed himself to be led, sparing a glance for the peacefully sleeping man in the chair near the bed that the blonde had occupied. Once in the corridor, he raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest when she released his wrist. "Well?" he asked, not giving her a chance to speak.

"I'm sorry! I just smelled something good, like what Makoto-chan cooked, and I thought that maybe there might be some extra, and so I came over to ask if there was anything no one else wanted, and then I heard you talking and I listened because I was sad that you two didn't get along and..." She paused, gasping for breath, and resumed a heartbeat later. "And I thought that it was so great that you two are starting to make up because it's sad to have to watch people not be friends!"

Ranma stared at the girl blankly for a long moment as she recovered her breath. "Uh. There's some food up on the deck," he said at length, before levitating and teleporting away.

XXX

Usagi pouted as the boy disappeared, but quickly dismissed the incident, shaking her head. Waking Mamoru gently, she notified him, "Ranma-san said there was some food on the deck, and you haven't eaten for almost a whole day - let's go get something to eat."

Nodding, the man rose and stretched deeply. "Okay," he mumbled sleepily. "I feel much better today."

She smiled winsomely, and happily accepted the offered arm as the man dutifully retraced the route that Ami had originally led them on to see Makoto. "Ranma-san seems to be nice," Usagi said after a moment. "He's really thoughtful."

XXX

The Throne maintained its position above Cyaga, Genoh's personal ship nearby. While Genoh and Karau were gone for the moment, Tenchi frowned, glancing at Ayeka and then back to the screen. "So," he remarked thoughtfully, "I know who the Amatera are - you told me that last night - but who are the Laruma?"

Ayeka pursed her lips thoughtfully, glancing towards the door that Genoh and his younger brother had retreated through. "It is... It will explain why Laruma-san's words were so rude, I suppose..." she said softly. "Tenchi-sama, think of the Laruma as ... ah ... what is that word..."

"Burakumin," Ryouko said, smirking at Ayeka's discomfiture. "Pariahs. The caste too low in society to be accepted anywhere. That's why the Juraian nobles were so angry with the Amatera for giving the Laruma their ships. Juraian law says something about how only nobles can have ships, and the Laruma were not nobles, but they had ships anyway-"

"That's quite enough, Ryouko," Ayeka hissed. "I think I'm quite capable of explaining my own people's history to Tenchi-sama."

"Humph," Ryouko snorted. "Your own? Isn't he one of you? Far too elitist. See, as I was saying, Tenchi-"

"Ryouko!" Ayeka cried out. "That's enough!"

"No," Tenchi said, overriding the both of them. "I want to hear this all out. Ayeka, sometimes what you tell me is really useful, but if I'm going to be an emperor for Jurai, then I think it would be best for me to be hearing both sides of any story. Don't you?"

Ayeka bit her tongue, humbled by Tenchi's words, and nodded silently.

Ryouko spared the other woman a glance, then resumed, "Anyway, the nobility was angry because the Laruma had ships but weren't nobles, so they decided the best way to deal with it was either to kill all of their trees, or kill all of them."

Tenchi's eyes widened, and he glanced to Ayeka, whose face was drawn and pale. She nodded weak confirmation a moment later, then looking away in shame. Tenchi quickly turned back to Ryouko, who continued without further prompting, "So there was a little war there, though most of the Juraian history probably skirts around the issue... The Laruma lost almost all of their ships in the battles, until Tsunami stepped in on their behalf and pretty much told all the other Juraians to knock it off, and that they couldn't kill the Laruma anymore.

"So the Juraian council had to make Tsunami happy, and she was pretty mad about the whole thing, so they said that the Laruma would be a house of nobles, just like them, and then having ships would be okay for them. Except that it wasn't, because the nobles only pretended that they called the Laruma equals; none of them really respected the Laruma."

Tenchi looked to Ayeka for confirmation, and all that she could say in defense was, "Well ... they _are_ Laruma."

The boy hung his head and sighed in exasperation. He harbored some faint hope that the Masaki clan was better than the other stuck-up, pretentious and otherwise ... elitist, Ryouko had said. The Juraians were all far too elitist. He had hoped that his own clan would, at the least, be better than that, but evidently it wasn't, if even Ayeka were to be acting as she was.

"Anyway," Ryouko said, judging Tenchi to be ready to hear more, "the Laruma got mad about life still sucking on Jurai, but now they had enough power to make a difference, so they went ahead and left to some of the closer territories. Then they started branching out into trade, and to spite the Juraian nobles, helping out people that the nobles refused to help. That's why the fleet that went to Earth was composed almost entirely of Ginraii ships."

"I see," Tenchi said after a moment, straightening. "And the other half was the Home Fleet. So, they're merchants, too?"

"They have to make money somehow," Ryouko said with a shrug. "Unlike all of the other nobles, they can't extort taxes from the common citizenry."

"Now you take that _back_, Ryouko!" Ayeka erupted, fuming. "We are nobles, we are not _thieves_, and your allegation-"

Tenchi silenced Ayeka by raising a hand to forestall her. "How's that work?" he asked guardedly of Ryouko. "No one's explained how the government gets money around here, but whenever I ask one of the other advisors, they just say, 'donations'. Misaki and Funaho are too busy, or I'd ask them, but I need answers if you expect me to be an emperor."

Ayeka threw her hands into the air and sank to a seat, glowering at Ryouko. The cyan-haired woman affected to be unaware of the glare she was receiving. "Well, I only know from listening into conversations in the bars I used to be allowed to visit." She shot Ayeka a cool, level look, which Ayeka returned smugly. "Before I was told that I shouldn't, because it would make you look bad, Tenchi." The woman turned her attention back to him, smiling and winking. "What I heard was that only the nobles own any of the territory in the area, and that everyone else has to pay substantial taxes on the land, which is how the nobles get their money - taxing people. Then all of that money goes to the clan's private holdings, and they buy whatever they want with it."

"I see," Tenchi mumbled, furrowing his brows and deep in thought. "That's really inefficient," he commented. "What about the Council? Where does their money come from?"

"Donations," Ryouko repeated, smirking. "More donations mean you have a greater pull within the council, which assures that the greediest and most selfish stay on the top."

Tenchi shook his head. "So the Council is a respected and honored facet of the government, but is effectively just run by the highest bidder? And they're equal in power to the emperor of Jurai. I don't normally like to say things like this, but that's really stupid."

Ayeka flushed, at a loss for words.

Ryouko lounged in one of the chairs, glancing at Ayeka for a moment, then back to Tenchi. "I don't think much of it myself, but you're the boss here, Tenchi. If anyone can make changes, it's going to be you, and there _is_ the standard of Juraian law..."

"Yes!" Ayeka proclaimed, raising her head triumphantly. "Juraian law is fair and just!"

"Even if the nobles who uphold that law aren't," Ryouko noted.

"Well, I can see now that there are going to need to be a few changes," Tenchi murmured.

A knock sounded at the door, and a moment later Genoh and his younger brother reentered. Genoh nodded his head at Tenchi, bowing as he entered, and his younger brother hastily mimicked the gesture a moment later. "Masaki-sama?" he asked. "If you are ready, we can transport the monopoles from the Masagari system and get to work."

Genoh fidgeted nervously when Tenchi merely stared at the man for a long, silent minute. "Right," the boy managed, shaking himself from his distraction and fishing the Tenchi-ken from his robes. "I assume that there's another tree at the other end of this Gate?"

The Laruma nodded quickly, assuring, "Yes, Masaki-sama, my own ship - Vidarr - was in communication with the crew earlier today. The tree there is named Gaeron-oh. Will that suffice?"

"I hope so," Tenchi muttered. Within a few minutes, Tenchi was able to utilize the Throne's aid, and the tree of the Throne spoke with Gaeron-oh, establishing the link and waiting Tenchi's say-so to activate the Gate.

"Okay," he said, slightly dizzied from the attempt, when he was wholly unused to communicating with the trees in such a matter. "I think it's ready." He did have to wonder where Tsunami was, but she hadn't been seen since she had left the Court suddenly, some time ago.

"By all means, Masaki-sama," Genoh prompted, gesturing to the planet.

Tenchi grunted quietly, his grip on the Tenchi-ken tightening as the gems flared and the dark rift in space formed alongside the Throne, ready crews already preparing to guide the massive structures that Genoh had spoken of through and into Cyaga's system.

The first monopole emerged from the portal almost instantly, ringed by much smaller ships to guide and pull it. According to the Throne's relayed message, it was rushing along at a steady fifty kilometers per second. Tenchi's grip wavered, as the monopole grew larger around, requiring more power from both him, and the Throne.

But that was only the first of the poles. Though Tenchi allowed the portal to waver, Ayeka and Ryouko both moving to steady him as he tried to regain the spent energy. The other pole had already started its own journey, so there was no chance to call off the project and allow him to catch his breath. Genoh and Karau seemed completely unaware of the stresses on Tenchi, both staring at the pole as it emerged from the portal.

Tenchi tightened his grip on the Tenchi-ken, flashing each of the women a warm smile as the gems on the Tenchi-ken flared brightly blue, somehow replenishing his own diminished reservoirs of energy. Mere moments later, a smaller, more startling flow of energy rushed into him as Ryouko's own gem flared bright, the red matching the glow of the Tenchi-ken's blue.

Confidence restored, he began expanding the portal again as the second pole began to widen, still progressing at the same fifty meters per second. Eventually, the first of the larger ships came through, nearly riding the surface of the pole to make sure there was enough clearance from the edge of the portal, and Tenchi obligingly widened it again, nearly a full twenty kilometers more than the thousand of the pole ... and then it was over.

Gaeron-oh sent a message notifying the Throne that the Masagari system was evacuated of all of the workers, and the portal could be shut. Tenchi gratefully closed the portal, relaxing. "Okay," he said, dizzy and feeling drained - more so than when he had used the Light Hawk Wings to counter a black hole. "What's next?"

Genoh watched the system monitors eagerly, only glancing at Tenchi, though both Ayeka and Ryouko stared at him worriedly, only drawing a short distance away. "Nothing more, Masaki-sama," the man said, his younger brother busy scribing down some occurrence or another on his ledger. "Our ships should be able to manage the operation from this point." He turned to regard Tenchi levelly, then broke into a broad grin. "Thank you again, Masaki-sama. I doubt that we would have been able to move the poles into position without your aid. If there is anything I can offer you to express our gratitude, simply name it."

Shaking his head to clear it, Tenchi gestured to the seats ringing the room's one table. "Actually," he said, taking a seat himself, "there might be something you can help me with, Genoh. And call me Tenchi, please."

Taken aback, Genoh carefully took the seat opposite from Tenchi, Karau nervously taking the seat to Genoh's right. Ayeka seated herself in the chair to Tenchi's left, while Ryouko straightened up very slightly in the seat to his right. "Yes, er ... Tenchi? What can I do for you?"

"Genoh," Tenchi began, rubbing at his temples after setting the Tenchi-ken on the table before him, "I've been learning a little bit more about Juraian politics over the last few days, and I learned a lot more today... I suppose it's all old news to you, but tell me - has there ever been a Laruma on the Council?"

Karau blinked twice and turned to stare at Genoh in confusion. Genoh shot his younger brother a glance, and the boy snapped his ledger shut audibly, placing his stylus on the table and tucking the ledger into his robes. Ledger stowed, Genoh turned his attention back to Tenchi. "No, Masaki-sama, no Laruma has ever been permitted to serve in the council. Are you asking because you wish to mock me, or do you truly not know?" The man seemed genuinely confused.

Tenchi shook his head quickly. "I'm not making fun of you," he assured the man. "I'm learning most of this as I go along - I guess it's probably pretty hard to manage being the head of Ginraii, and you probably have a lot of work, but try, just for a minute, to see being the emperor of Jurai without really knowing how the whole system works.

"I'll be honest with you, because this is all terribly confusing to me, and it's really easy for me to make a mistake that makes a lot of people unhappy, and it's beginning to look a lot like even if I do the right thing, I'm still going to make a lot of people unhappy."

"Just make the ones you don't like unhappy," Ryouko joked.

Ayeka colored angrily, but Tenchi merely smiled softly. "That's about what I plan to do," he said quietly. "Tell me, Genoh, how hard would it be, with my help, to _get_ a Laruma on the Council? I need to make some changes, and the Council is almost guaranteed to oppose me no matter what I attempt to do, unless I can get some support from within."

Changing from coloring angrily and only just barely keeping her tongue in check, Ayeka stared at Tenchi in disbelief, while Ryouko eyed him with something much closer to awe. "Well," Genoh said after a moment, he and his brother nervously glancing between the three, "that would be... The Laruma have enough money to attempt to bid into the Council, but we'd never win the elections to a seat."

"Why not?" Tenchi asked, frowning.

"Because our blood is considered too ignoble," Genoh answered blandly. "We own no land on Jurai, so we can't bid as landowners."

Furrowing his brows thoughtfully, Tenchi asked, "What do you own?"

"Ginraii, which is not negotiable, and..." Genoh trailed off, licking his lips nervously. "And our trade routes. Where the nobles tax the people living on their lands, we tax everyone who uses our ships for trade."

"So you need land on Jurai to be considered for the Council," Tenchi stated flatly. "Fine. Ayeka, I'm the emperor, right? How much land do I own?"

Ayeka's eyes rolled up into her head as she slumped out of her seat and collapsed onto the floor.

"Wait," Genoh managed, looking unnerved. "You're offering us, the _Laruma_, the emperor's land? Tenchi, what you suggest would... Are you sure you wish to do this? I have no desire to remain an outcast, but this... This could go a great way towards destroying the caste system of Jurai."

"Good," Tenchi said, smiling grimly. "Then let's get to work."

Remaining on the floor, Ayeka moaned softly.

XXX

Raising a pale, ancient porcelain teacup to her lips and sipping softly, Funaho allowed herself to smile. "I think I rather like that boy," she commented, one eye on the monitor spying on Tenchi's meeting. She glanced briefly at Misaki, who frowned doubtfully.

"I agree that change needs to be made," the woman said, rubbing at her brow worriedly, "but aren't you the slightest bit worried that your great-grandson is getting in over his head?"

Funaho shrugged, sipping at her tea again and then adding, "We will see, I suppose. I think that he will do better than you give him credit. He is attempting to do this without the aid of Tsunami, when he could simply ask her to change all as he sees fit. That, more than anything else, should be respected."

The other woman's eyes dimmed, and she fumbled for her own teacup, frowning once more. "Yes ... and what of Tsunami, and more importantly, my daughter?"

Funaho set her teacup down, turning to regard Misaki levelly. "Don't worry overly much for Sasami. Tsunami is more than capable of taking care of her." She hid a small smirk behind her wrist, adding, "And don't frown so, you know you haven't the face for it."

Misaki giggled, unable to keep from smiling, and shook her head. "Azusa is going to be furious, isn't he?" she asked.

"I imagine so," Funaho commented archly, as she watched Ayeka faint through the screen before her.

XXX

Tenchi helped Ayeka to her feet, sitting the young woman on a smaller and lower padded chair before returning to the table and regarding Genoh again. "Ryouko," he said, glancing at the woman, "please take care of her."

Ryouko pouted, but drifted from her seat and did as he bade her, leaving Tenchi alone at the table with the Laruma. "Ah," Genoh said, collecting his wits somewhat. "If you insist ... since your ... fiancee?" he paused, and Tenchi managed a slight nod, watching both of the women from the corner of his eyes. They elected to not react, and he relaxed as Genoh continued, "Um... At any rate, my understanding of such is that the emperor is awarded certain lands, such as the First - the great tree that contains the palace, and all the land beneath it - and ... there are other properties as well. Gardens, sundry smaller palaces, the land where the Council rests, the royal vineyards..."

"That sounds promising," Tenchi noted when Genoh trailed off. "I want to give you a property that allows you to at least make some money to use towards the Council. The gardens are probably useless, but tell me about the vineyards?"

"The, um, royal vineyards. There are four of them, probably about seventy kilometers square each. One for something much like your grapes, one for barley, and two for rice."

"Okay," Tenchi said agreeably, "so, if I were to give you the vineyards, could you work with that? Would it be enough for you to get a foothold into the Council, and - hopefully - give me an ally?"

"Er... Yes, I would think so, since the vineyards make wines that the common populous and even most nobles are not normally able to get... I imagine that could make enough money to offset any expenses we incur on our own..." He shook his head as his younger brother tugged at his sleeve questioningly.

Tenchi raised an eyebrow, and motioned for the boy to speak.

At Genoh's nod, Karau haltingly said, "Assuming that anyone's willing to buy wine from the Laruma."

The emperor frowned darkly and muttered, "I'll do what I can, but I can't begin to imagine where I'd begin dealing with that."

Genoh shook his head, mumbling, "With... With your help, Tenchi, we may be able to resolve some of those problems on our own."

Ryouko warned, "You know, that's going to look a lot like a bribe, Tenchi. Well, it _is_ a bribe, really, but you should probably try and be sneakier about it."

Tenchi frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay," he said, evenly. "What would you suggest?"

"Sell the land," Ayeka managed. "In exchange for a percentage of whatever profits the Laruma generate on their trade routes."

Genoh nodded quickly, saying, "That is most certainly agreeable."

Tenchi grinned hopefully and shrugged. "I know this is about as far as you get from a proper political agreement, but it all boils down to this; if you're willing to help me out, I'll do what I can to help you out in exchange. Sound fair?"

Genoh nearly fell out of his chair laughing. "Fair? _Fair_?" he asked, his voice bordering on hysteria. "For over sixty generations of my family, we are treated as outcasts and scum, and when we resign ourselves to this fate, someone who can make a difference chooses to do so-" He cut himself off abruptly, schooling his expression and rising to his feet. "Tenchi, who is both Amatera and Masaki, I, Laruma Genoh pledge my unswerving loyalty to you in exchange for seeing a Laruma on the Council before my dying day. Grant us that one thing, and all Laruma will be proud to call you an ally, and more than that, a friend."

Tenchi rose slowly and nodded at Genoh's deep bow - echoed by Karau's. When Genoh straightened from the bow, he added pleasantly, "And the Laruma never forget their friends."

XXX

"See?" Funaho asked mildly over her tea. "He's just made himself his first ally!"

Misaki had one hand pressed to her stomach, steadying herself nervously. "Funaho, Azusa will be beyond furious! First his son hands over the seat of Emperor after less than a full minute of bearing the title, and then Tenchi gives the royal vineyards over to ... the Laruma?"

"Change is not without cost," Funaho noted happily. "Drink some tea, it should help settle your stomach." Funaho changed the subject abruptly, asking, "Misaki, tell me ... do you know what the Amatera mean to the Laruma?"

Misaki nodded unhappily.

"That's the highest and most honorable title they can call someone by - comparing them to the Amatera that allowed them to escape in the first place. With them as an ally he can go far."

"If he's careful," Misaki warned. "As Ayeka sadly demonstrates, most of my family will not react well to these plans."

Unobserved by the participants within the ship, but tended carefully by the Ginraii workers in the vacuum beyond the Throne, the two massive monopoles continued at their awesome speeds. Carefully adjusted by the smaller ships, they slowly shifted in alignment and heading until the proper insertion vectors were reached, and then they were sunk, deliberately, into the swirling gas of Cyaga.

The constructs protruded nearly ten thousand miles above the surface of the gas giant, leaving it to look like a child's top, as all of the Ginraii ships in the sector convened in a convoy, half of them immediately heading off towards parts unknown, the other half towards Terra Two.

XXX

Pleasantly full, but still desiring to know more about Ranma, Ami loitered with the others who had attended the impromptu feast. She frowned, suddenly realizing that the boy in question was missing. The redheaded scientist who had named herself Washuu excused herself shortly, calling Ranma's daughter away with her to tend to her own projects.

She couldn't quite muster the courage to ask Washuu about Ranma directly, though a slow plan to ask about her computer formed, and perhaps from there, more about the boy himself. Usagi, doting on Mamoru, emerged shortly from the bowels of the ship and made a beeline towards the leftovers. Makoto excused herself to look after Ryu, and Minako elected to follow.

Ami wandered a short distance away from Usagi and Mamoru, while Ranma's grandmother and the girl made light conversation. Hotaru watched, attentively silent, and Yosho sat midway between Cologne and the remainder of the crowd, apparently meditating. Rei took only a moment to follow Ami, sitting nearby and asking, "So, why are you sitting here?"

The girl smiled at her friend, answering Rei, "Just thinking, really."

"About Ranma, right?"

Ami blushed very faintly. "Ah, yes," she confessed.

"Oh!" Rei exclaimed. "You like him?"

"I..." Ami trailed off, struggling. "Not like that, Rei-chan. I'm just very curious. It strikes me that there is much more to the story than Hibiki-san has told us, and I'm curious about it."

"Ah," Rei said, calming somewhat. "Well, I'm not certain, but I'd guess that you could just ask him."

"True," Ami noted, "and I feel it would be unwise to try and go behind his back and find out..."

XXX

He found what he was looking for - almost - when he stumbled across Ryouga and Mousse. A pair of unlikely friends if there ever was, but necessity was the mother of invention. Or something like that. He dimly remembered his father spouting something like that off - the man knew far too many parables for his own good - at some point in the past.

"Hey," he said, causing both of them to spin in surprise and stare at him.

"Ranma?" Mousse asked, one again clad in his robes, instead of the borrowed tee-shirt and jeans from Norris. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Ranma shrugged, glancing momentarily towards the shore, visible in the distance as the fleet continued along. "Yeah," he said. "There is, actually. I had some clothes that I borrowed from Washuu's friend, but... Uh, well, they got left in the truck we drove into Tokyo on, and my own stuff is ... well, if a reaver hasn't eaten it, it's probably with the girls."

Ryouga winced initially, then masked it with a snicker. "No clothes, Ranma?"

"Yeah," Ranma deadpanned. "Unless I want to go around like this all the time, and I don't, because people look at me _real_ funny when I'm a girl." To emphasize the point, he shifted forms again, posing for a heartbeat with her wrist upon her forehead, like some distraught maiden from the cover of a cheap manga.

Ryouga choked, eyes bulging, then looked away, while Mousse simply laughed. "I think I have a little sympathy for you, Ranma," Mousse said after calming, wiping at his eyes with the sleeves of his robe. "What are you looking for, exactly?"

"Uh... A shirt? Maybe some pants? Something like what I used to wear, I guess." Ranma shrugged uncomfortably.

"Hmm," Ryouga mused, having calmed himself, "I think my clothes will fit you, if you want to borrow a shirt and pants."

Mousse grinned, shaking his head. "I have a few spare robes, but I think my pants would be a little small for you. Err, generally."

Ranma rolled her eyes, saying, "I'll take whatever you don't need, until I can find some place to get new clothes."

In short order, Ranma was wearing a spare pair of Ryouga's pants and one of Mousse's robes. She eyed herself dubiously, then shifted forms, finding that the garments accommodated him easily in either form. "That should do it," he mused. "Thanks, guys, I owe you one."

Ryouga hastily shook his head. "No, Ranma, I think we owe _you_ one." Mousse nodded gravely, the brief mirth already having faded.

Shrugging uncomfortably, Ranma dismissed them, muttering, "It's nothing, really. Let's not worry about it."

A long, awkward silence followed as the three boys struggled for something to speak of. "So," Ryouga managed after the silence had become almost too much to bear, "how are you doing, Ranma?"

Grimacing, Ranma scratched behind one ear, then shrugged. "Okay, I guess," he allowed. "Mostly I'm just kinda confused. And tired." He furrowed his brow in thought, staring at the deck. "You know, I don't think I've had hardly an entire ten minutes to myself since this all started."

Ryouga grinned, scratching his head at the lower edge of his bandana and nodding. "I think I know what you mean, Ranma. Things have been really busy ever since..." The boy coughed, trailing off and looking away. "Hey," he said after a moment, "you never really told us about how you met Hakubi-san." He glanced back at Ranma, curiosity evident in his gaze. "How did you meet her, anyway?"

Ranma shrugged offhandedly, sinking to the deck to sit, joined by Mousse and Ryouga a half-second later. "It's not that great of a story, really, but the first thing I can remember..."

XXX

Washuu hummed softly to herself, tapping away at her console. Long cables connected her computer to the second of the positronic laser satellites, searching for reparable damage, while a few smaller cables connected to Nuku's ear-like sensors. For her part, the girl watched the senshi talk quietly where the remnants of the earlier lunch still sat.

Yosho loitered about casually, appearing relaxed, but Washuu suspected that the man still didn't entirely trust the girls. Herself, Washuu was at a loss for how easily Ranma could forgive what had been done to him, but then, he had gotten along with Ryouko after her apology - which, knowing the woman, was clumsy at best - and even forgiven the scientist herself for what she had done to him. Turning him into something else, something not entirely human, and completely without his permission.

She absently tapped a key on the keyboard, using Nuku's built-in access codes to read the libraries of data and targeting information on the satellites. More information on them lay within Nuku's own data storage, along with a fragmented copy of the control program.

Further analysis revealed that the control program was once part of something greater - possibly a primitive artificial intelligence, but whatever it was, it was lost at that point. Still, the rudimentary control and access functions would be enough to get through all of the satellite's security. Another key press captured the first and second units into the small spinning disks that were supporting them, folding and compressing the space to fit within a device the size of a hockey-puck.

Ignoring that for the moment, she downloaded all of the relevant information and studied it briefly. "My!" she commented, drawing Yosho's attention, and garnering a curious glance from Nuku.

"What happened, mama-san?"

Washuu glanced at Nuku, then scowled. "Drat. I spent all that time brushing your hair, and... Ah, well, I was just checking the logs on the satellites, to see how many reavers they neutralized. Of the reavers attacking Tokyo before the laser's automated systems shut it down due to overheating..." She frowned, wondering what would require being replaced to offset the heat damage - and to prevent it from happening in any kind of handheld weapon she created. "At any rate, the computers report that the lasers have destroyed an additional six reavers."

Nuku brightened instantly, and Yosho nodded, looking pleased. "That's good, right?" Nuku asked. "Should Nuku-Nuku tell Ranma-papa-san?"

Washuu laughed, shaking her head and carefully disconnected the cabling from Nuku's ear-sensors. "Don't worry about it too much. Just leave him alone, for now. You can tell him when he comes back."

Nuku pouted, grumbling loudly, "Where is papa-san? Nuku-Nuku is bored."

Yosho coughed politely, interjecting, "Probably taking care of something important, Nuku. He'll come back."

XXX

Had Nuku still been tethered loosely to Washuu's computer, she might have noticed, but as it was, she scurried off to play with her friends rather than stay. Yosho and Washuu were too distracted by her to observe, and thus, Ran-oh-ki was left alone with the satellites.

His first stop was one of the hockey-puck sized disks, though he was faintly aware of the fact that it was linked to folded space, and because of that, likely to contain even more minerals and - hopefully - tasty metal than most of the things he had found to eat. Sniffing delicately, he seized the first of the disks in his teeth, tossed it upwards into the air, and lunged after it, swallowing it whole with only a small modicum of difficulty.

It wasn't until he had swallowed the second that he began to question the wisdom of his actions. An inarticulate scream of rage and one swift kick later he was tumbling off the ship, sure that it had been unwise of him to eat the disks.

XXX

Ranma teleported without thought, catching his partner in midair. He blinked, wondering at his actions, and floated up to the upper level of the ship, shocked to see Washuu yelling and screaming obscenities, stomping on the deck angrily.

And two of the satellites were missing.

Frowning, Ranma teleported to Washuu's side, causing the woman to jump in surprise. "Ack! Don't do that!" she protested. Noticing Ran-oh-ki, the woman glowered, shaking her fist threateningly and losing her surprised demeanor. Ranma could feel Ran-oh-ki's fear through the connection with his partner, until the creature hurled itself from his hands and sank through the deck of the ship.

"Don't come back here, you stupid, stupid, mangy, flea-bitten, ugly, useless, _stupid_ rat!" Washuu screamed at the deck that Ran-oh-ki had passed through, then stalking over to stomp on the spot angrily.

"Um," Ranma said, unnerved by the scientist's fury. "I'll... I'll just go and wait over there. And Ran-oh-ki may not be a very bright rat, but he's not mangy."

"Of course not," Washuu grumbled, seething as she finally gave up stomping on the deck. "He's just _stupid_!"

"Right... What did he do?" Ranma asked, already guessing.

"He ate the satellites!" Washuu nearly screamed. "He ate one of the best weapons at our disposal! Now I can't use them to build more weapons, I have to build them from scratch! Do you have any idea how long it takes to build a positronic laser from scratch with the technology that I have available here? I don't think I _can_! That stupid rat..." she trailed off, composing herself somewhat.

"At any rate, I've got a lot more work ahead of me now. Ranma, it's not your fault; it's your partner's fault. And he'd better stay out of my way for a good long while, if he wants to keep on living!"

The boy merely stared at the redhead, stunned. "Oh," he said quietly. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just ask."

Washuu laughed humorlessly, shaking her head. "Can you find me a cryogenic research facility to get me the gasses I'll need for the laser? The mirrors and glass I'll need for the lenses? The... Oh, don't bother, Ranma. Thank you for asking, but you don't need to bother. Just ... keep your partner out of trouble."

With that, she marched to her computer and began typing, swearing under her breath at some calculation or another.

Ranma frowned, shaking his head. "You messed up this time, partner," he whispered softly, knowing Ran-oh-ki could still sense his thoughts. "I'm not mad, but unless you think you can fix this, we're going to be in a whole world of trouble."

Yosho nodded very subtle agreement, watching Washuu out of the corner of his eyes. "Hey," Ranma announced more loudly. "I'm going to go out for a bit. Washuu said I should relax."

The older man nodded once more, still watching Washuu covertly. "Be careful," he replied absently.

Ranma grinned. "I will," he said softly, teleporting away.

XXX

Norris walked sedately down the central access corridor of the ship that had once been his own. The Louisiana. The ship was probably as neatly run by Patterson as it had been when he ran it himself, but Norris felt the need to take a short break and escape from the problems plaguing him of late.

Patterson held a checklist in one hand and a pen in the other, prepared to jot down notes if Norris felt the need to comment.

Norris preferred silence for the moment, enjoying the relatively peaceful aspects of a well-run and battle-ready ship at sea. The men they passed nodded politely, completely at ease, which was odd considering their situation.

They progressed all the way to the final section of the ship - one seldom entered by either of them. The nuclear engine control room. "I'll admit," Patterson said, "I haven't run an inspection on the engine since command was handed to me just yesterday, but I trust that conditions have not changed significantly."

So saying, the pair of men entered the command room, and both froze stock-still.

"Captain?" Norris asked primly.

"Yes, Commodore?" Patterson responded, staring fixedly at the room.

"When does 'not changed significantly' cover chroming the entire engine room?"

"I do not know, Commodore."

"And replacing all of the controls with stylized welded-chain wheels?"

"I do not know, Commodore."

"And the fox-tail hanging from the nuclear warning sign?"

"I do not know, Commodore."

"And, why the _hell_ is a giant silver 'Type-R' emblazoned on the core?"

Distracting both of the men, the only occupant of the room paused, suddenly noticing them. The technician furrowed his brow and said, "I happen to _like_ Type-R modifications. They're better than what was here, if you ask me."

Norris sighed, hanging his head. "Oh. _You_. Never mind, Patterson. This explains everything."

Durant placed his hands on his hips, scowling at the other men. "Who said you guys could come in here, anyway?"

Coughing, Patterson growled, "I would like to know what _you_ think you're doing to military property!"

Puzzled, the trespasser examined the room critically. "It's called 'ricing out the engine'. Why?"

Norris restrained a scream - barely. "What did you do?" he asked tersely.

"Oh, not much. I figured that it'd get more power if I fixed-up the engine, so I set a turbo-charger to completely remove the cooling rods when you want a little more power. That should give you a good boost," he stated confidently.

"Won't that make the engine go into meltdown?" Patterson asked frantically.

"Well, yeah, but if you want a fast, powerful ride, you gotta take a _few_ risks."

"I remember this far too well to be happy," Norris muttered. "Come with us, we're tossing you into the brig."

Durant opened his mouth to comment, then blinked, looking downward in surprise. Norris followed his gaze worriedly, as did Patterson. Sulking in a nearly forgotten corner behind the men was one of the oddest creatures they had ever seen, something of a cross between a rabbit and a cat. It regarded them sullenly from where it was crouched.

Patterson moved towards the creature quickly, frowning with distaste, but before he could reach it, there was a shimmering in the air before him, and a boy dressed in loose pants and a long white shirt with flowing sleeves appeared from the shimmer. The boy spared the men a glance, picking up the creature before turning to regard the men again. "Hey, Norris-san. What's up?" he asked.

Norris hung his head, sighing. "Okay, so, you're Ranma's brother, right? What are you doing here?"

The boy winced and shifted to a shorter and more curved version of himself. With red hair. Norris stared, his ability to be shocked worn out for the time being, while Patterson leaned against the wall heavily, startled. Durant raised an eyebrow as the girl said, "I'm not Ranma's brother, I _am_ Ranma."

"That's kinda cool, but freaky at the same time," Durant noted. "Ranma, eh? I think I heard someone mention you once. Girl a little taller than you, but she had the same exact voice. Your sister?"

"My daughter," Ranma returned. "She never mentioned you, though."

"Durant," the man said, extending one hand to her. "Paul Durant," he added when she accepted it dubiously.

"Okay, Ranma, if you don't mind I'm afraid that I need to take Mr. Durant here to the brig for trespassing on government property-"

Ranma's eyes widened, and she grinned, haphazardly placing the small creature she had collected on her shoulder and completely ignoring Norris. "Paul Durant? You work for Mishima and make satellites, right? Some kind of posirific lather or something?"

Durant nodded, shrugging uneasily. "Well, yeah," he said, "though I'm beginning to think that last paycheck isn't going to be comin' through, what with Tokyo being a smoking pile of rubble, now ... why do you ask?"

"I have a broken satellite," Ranma said, "and there's a girl who I need to get some stuff for."

"Girl? Satellite? Nothing says love like violence. What do you need?"

"Okay, uh ... she said she needed some kind of gas for the laser that was hard to find, or something, and then lots of mirrors and lenses for something else."

Durant scratched his chin thoughtfully, then crossed his arms over his chest. "Well," he ruminated, "there's a couple of ways to go with that. If it's a positronic laser, you have a few options. First off, to make things easy, you'll want to use a noble gas. Okay. Neon's not going to cut it for you. Generally, argon-suspension works pretty well, but it's argon, and you can probably do without it. Xenon is good, since they use that for most ruby lasers, but ain't really all that, even though the idiots back home in the U.S. think that it's the way to go..." he trailed off, thoughtfully.

After a moment, the silence only punctuated by the engine's quiet hum, he added, "Personally, I'd say you're best off with radon, but that's not as much fun to work with. If you could get it, I'd say the answer you _really_ want is krypton. Krypton's the good stuff, though it's kinda rare. What are you building the lasers for, anyway?"

"To kill reavers," Ranma said instantly.

At that, Norris and Patterson both relaxed their grim expressions, now curious.

"Oh, well, yeah, krypton would be the good stuff, but the thing's gonna be massive, since you're gonna want liquid nitrogen to cool the gas, and then it's going to take a wicked drain on the batteries. What size are you looking for in these things, anyway?"

"Something someone his size," Ranma jerked a thumb at Norris, "could carry around, but I think you want to talk to Washuu about that. Um, look, let me take you to the broken satellite so you can fix it and you can talk to her. While that's going on, where can I get some krypton gas?"

Durant frowned, rubbing his chin. "Well," he said slowly, "I know they set up something in Antarctica to harvest it, based on some stupid theory about the ozone layer's reduction making more of it. Which is bull. I bet they were using it to hide something. Anyway, there's a Mishima automated refinery in Antarctica, somewhere, but I'm not sure where. If you can find that ... well, who knows how much is there? That's where it'd be, though."

Ranma grinned, and Norris cocked his head to one side, curious. "What about the lenses and mirrors?" Patterson asked.

Grunting, Durant waved a hand. "Any decent microscope factory should have a bunch of good optics. Now, I'm talking professional, high-quality microscopes, not those cheap ones that we got in Miss Anderson's class - damn things break _way_ too easy if you ask me - but the good stuff. Hell, there's about a billion manufacturers for them in Taiwan, more in China, and that's all good glass and mirrors."

Ranma's grin widened. "Excellent." She spun to face Norris, still floating just above the deck. "Norris-san, I'm sorry about breaking your boat. So's Ryu. I made a deal with him, though, and he promised to help us fight the reavers. Can you let him go?"

The man seemed about to protest, but sighed, slumping. "Why the hell not?" he asked bitterly. "I already gave Washuu access to nuclear weapons."

"You're giving out nukes?" Durant asked excitedly. "Can I get some?"

"No!" Norris snapped. "Get out of here!"

Ranma obligingly seized the man and vanished into thin air, taking Durant and the strange creature with him.

Patterson eyed his clipboard cautiously. "Um, how would you term this inspection, Commodore?" the man asked nervously.

Norris hung his head further. "Acceptable," he decided. "The best it could have been, considering who was involved."

XXX

Washuu glanced to one side as Ranma appeared - briefly - then disappeared, dropping someone off on the deck. The scientist eyed the man who was left there, looking a little out of place in his stained lab-coat, Mishima tag still hanging from the collar. Nuku bounded out from the tents and paused at Washuu's side, glancing at the man. "Was Ranma-papa-san here?" she asked, turning to look at the redheaded scientist again.

Nodding, Washuu regarded the man in the lab-coat as he strode confidently towards the satellite. "Excuse me," she called out. "Who are you? Can I help you?"

"Name's Paul Durant," he said absently, studying the solid red lights on the satellite. "Got word that you had a broken satellite you needed to have fixed. Anything I can help with?"

"Not likely," Washuu drawled. "Unless you can fix them from being eaten?"

"Induce vomiting," Durant answered quickly, glancing at Washuu, and then at Nuku. "Oh, hey, kid. Ran into your dad. Mom. Whatever. Does he know you're running around with strange blond Americans?"

Nuku blinked and pointed at Washuu. "Washuu is mama-san. Ranma is papa-san," she clarified. "Papa-san asked Terry to take care of Nuku-Nuku."

"Well, that explains a bit. So you're Washuu, eh? Nice kid. Your husband's a little weird, but okay in my book."

"He's not my husband," Washuu noted, arching an eyebrow higher at the man.

"Oh, hey, I'm a ninety's kinda guy, so that's cool, that's cool," Durant said, raising both hands in a placating gesture. "What's wrong with the laser?"

Washuu cleared her throat, while Nuku watched, befuddled. "The laser," Washuu explained primly, "seems to have overheated, and as a result, some of the diagnostic circuitry is damaged. Why?"

Durant snorted, pulling a crowbar out of his lab-coat pocket. A large cloth, tied like a bandage, was wrapped around the middle of the iron rod, which he expertly swung back, and slammed into the side of the satellite. It whirred for a moment, then the lights all winked off, one-by-one. "Funny," he noted. "Never done that before."

Washuu's jaw dropped, as she stared at the man. "Did you just break the last satellite, before I could even fix it?" she asked quietly, voice quavering with the promise of violence barely held in check.

"Nah," Durant said, whacking it again with the crowbar. "It was already broken." As he pocketed the crowbar and turned away, the telltales lit up again, flashing red, then turning solid green, one at a time. "Just gotta know how to work it," he finished, shrugging.

Recovering from her shock somewhat, Washuu said, "Thank you very much. Now never do that again."

XXX

"What do you suppose that small creature that Hakubi-san kicked means to Ranma-san?" Ami wondered, frowning.

"Didn't Hotaru say that Ranma called it his partner?" Rei asked.

Ami nodded. "It must be important to him, since he caught it so quickly."

Rei shrugged, furrowing her brow in thought. "How does he do that so easily?" she grumbled. "He just disappears and reappears somewhere else."

"We must ask him when he has a moment," Ami resolved. "I simply hope he doesn't think we're prying or disrespectful."

The other girl nodded in silent agreement. Her own curiosity, just as much as Ami's, needed to be assuaged. All that remained was to actually corner the boy and ask...

XXX

"Washuu-mama-san! Washuu-mama-san! I can't wake up Ranma-papa-san!" Nuku frantically yelled, jumping up and down in agitation.

The scientist turned away from her terminal, caught off guard. "What? Ranma?" she asked. "What are you-" The scientist stopped asking questions as the core of Nuku's warning reached her.

When her senses returned to her, she was standing before the door to the room that Norris had lent her - for Ranma. Not pausing to rethink, though out of breath, she dashed into the room, leaping to the bed to check on Ranma worriedly. The boy-turned-girl was lying atop the bed, seemingly asleep. A quick survey of her vital signs showed that all was more-or-less in order, though Washuu had to wonder what Ranma had done to exhaust herself so thoroughly so early in the day.

Sighing in relief and pushing aside the odd encounter with Durant - and subsequent discussions on phase dispersion variance - she considered the small redhead on the bed, head resting in her lap. Ranma seemed to occupy her thoughts more often and more fully than anything else, of late.

What was it about the boy that attracted her so? No, she thought. Not attracted, except as scientific curiosity. He was far, far too young to attract her interest in any other sense. But what was it that drew her attention, more so than his 'ki', whatever that was... There was simply something about him, even if she couldn't pin it down.

Ranma mumbled something softly in her sleep and rolled over, resting her head comfortably in Washuu's lap. Sighing, Washuu lay one hand on Ranma's head gently, looking about the room. Ran-oh-ki was wisely nowhere to be seen. Ranma had found someone to help Washuu with the weaponry, for which she was grateful, but she was still more than a little upset about the loss of useful components. With Durant's help, she had been able to hash out a rough design for a rifle-sized armament, but Durant's suggestions used too many optics - the satellite only had enough lenses and mirrors for one of the suggested design to be built.

Ranma made a contented noise, still asleep, and Washuu absently ran a hand through the girl's red hair. Spiked and fiery, but soft to the touch. Washuu couldn't help but smile at that, and glanced around the room, noting some things had been added. A trio of large crates labeled from some factory in China, another from Taiwan, and several large steel gas canisters.

All of them marked 'krypton', and 'property of Mishima Heavy Industries - to be handled by professionals _only_'.

Washuu felt her jaw drop with disbelief. "Is _that_ what you were doing?" she asked, voice faint with wonder. She gently tucked Ranma back into the bed and scurried to the topmost of the crates, opening it carefully. Still in their factory issue-condition, wrapped in airtight plastic bags, packed in foam, were a variety of tiny, polished mirrors and lenses.

Ranma made a small noise, still sleeping, and Nuku waited apprehensively near the door. "What's wrong?" she asked, voice laden with worry.

"Nothing," she said quickly, already trying to calculate how much weaponry could be built with the supplies on hand. "He's just very tired."

"Is there anything Nuku-Nuku can do?" she asked.

"Probably... Well, you could take a nap with him, so he won't be alone when he wakes up," she suggested.

The girl bounced happily to the bed, and promptly curled up next to Ranma, like an over-sized kitten. Still asleep, Ranma threw one arm across the other girl, and the scientist was hard-pressed to resist another smile at the sight.

XXX

Ryu rubbed his wrist as the American soldier took the handcuffs off him, allowing him to move freely. The old woman - Ranma's grandmother - spoke with the soldier in English, and Ryu was only able to follow a handful of the words before she gestured for him to follow her. "Come," she instructed him tersely.

"So," Ryu said, dropping his hands to his side. "Where's Ranma?"

"Taking a nap," Cologne informed him wryly. "He wanted to get something to make up for a mistake that his partner made, and ended up wearing himself out in the process."

Ryu shrugged, hopping out of the bed. "Great," he said. "What now?"

"You're free to go," Cologne said. "Norris explained that Ranma asked for you to be released, with the proviso that you fight alongside us."

"Yeah," Ryu grunted. "He gets me the Umisenken, I fight with him. What now?"

"Nothing," Cologne assured him. "Until Ranma's done resting, at any rate."

The boy sighed, rolling his eyes. "So what am I supposed to do now?"

"I think there are a number of girls who wanted words with you," Cologne said lightly, walking down the corridor.

"What girls?" Ryu asked. Only moments later he spied Makoto, approaching swiftly and flanked by the majority of the girls she was traveling with. "This sucks," he added, annoyed to note that the old woman was already gone.

XXX

The end product of Washuu and Durant's efforts was a large yet sleek and lightweight rifle-like weapon. Norris held one carefully, frowning at the stylized silver-and-red crab symbol on the butt of the gun. Durant's work, doubtless.

"So," he asked, hefting the weapon easily and experimentally sighting the coast of Japan, still slipping past in the distance. "How much power do these things pack, and what kind of damage do they do?"

"Oh, that's easy," Durant replied blithely, before Washuu could answer. "See, a positronic laser isn't quite a laser, as much as a stream of ionization, jacketed in radiation. The microwave radiation is merely incidental."

"That doesn't sound remotely safe," Norris grumbled. "How will it affect my men, if they use it?"

"Should fry them instantly," Durant noted. "Not a toy. Why the hell do you think I put the damn things in automated satellites?"

"Ahem," Washuu interjected, shooting Durant a scathing glance. "I've reduced the radioactive backlash to minimal levels, Mr. Norris. It will be safe for your men to handle, but not to be struck with. The point of impact for the weapon will also contain a certain level of radiation. It should be non-lethal, if the beam isn't active, and the half-life is only seconds, so within minutes the worst of it should be cleared."

"Okay," Norris said, trusting the female scientist. "I'm guessing they haven't been tested?"

"No," Durant said, shrugging. "No good batteries for them, yet."

"So, it's useless?" Norris said, his fingers reflexively tightening on the trigger.

The deafening crack and explosion of light as a blast of energy sprang from the barrel of the weapon answered him better than either Durant or Washuu could, and he watched, blinking away the afterimage. A line of power had been traced through the air, slicing easily through the conning tower of one of the nearby ships, thankfully deserted. A mass of sheared and glowing red metal remained above the cut, while the shore in the distance echoed another explosion as the beam forced a reaction with something on the coast.

"I wouldn't say that," Washuu said wryly, rubbing at her ears and wincing. "I think your men might want to wear sunglasses, though.

"Uh," Norris managed, staring at the rifle in belated shock. "I thought you said there were no good batteries for it yet?"

"No," Durant said, "there aren't. There's only enough juice in there for one shot."

Norris frowned dubiously. "Anything else I should know?"

"Yes," Durant said emphatically. "Do not cross the beams."

"Why not?" Norris asked worriedly.

"Trust me, it will be bad," Durant said sternly.

The man grimaced, attempting to stare the tech down. "Define 'bad', Mr. Durant."

"It's hard to explain, but try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and finding yourself confined forever in another dimension."

After a long moment of silence, Norris asserted, "You're just making that up, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Durant answered evasively. "Maybe the beams will just refract if they collide, maybe you'll annihilate all of reality. Only one way to find out."

Washuu glanced at the technician, frowning, then turned her attention back to Norris. "About those nuclear devices, Mr. Norris? Once I have those, I can make as many fission batteries as you provide me components for."

"Oh, right." Norris frowned, eyeing Washuu. "It's going to take a bit for me to get the warheads from the boomers to the deck, since there's a whole fleet around us. Ah ... each boomer carries twenty-four Trident II D-5 SLBMs. They're a bit ... um ... largish. And I don't think that the general people," he motioned towards the tents, "will really like watching you operate on something that dangerous. If we could get it into the hangars, below decks..." The man trailed off with an apologetic shrug.

"Bah," Durant grunted. "People just don't have any chutzpah anymore. I swear. In my daddy's day, nobody said _nothing_ when the garage blew up two, three, maybe even four times a week." He shook his head, sighing. "Now they get all fussy just 'cause you want to play around with a nuke. What is their problem, anyway?"

Washuu ignored the tech, telling Norris, "Okay, I think I can manage things. I'll just need room in the hangar."

"How the hell are you going to move SLBMs from the boomer to the hangar without alerting anyone?" Norris asked, frowning.

Washuu merely grinned, and Norris quickly answered his own question, "Never mind. Here, take the rifle back, and for the love of god, don't blow us all up." Pushing the rifle into Durant's hands as the man pontificated on the glories of high explosives, Norris scurried away.

XXX

Cologne was awaiting Ranma after she woke, scrubbing a tired hand through her hair - which steadfastly refused to assume any form other than perfectly spiked back. After waiting for Ranma to drink a glass of water, she announced, "Yosho said that he was very impressed with your skill, Ranma."

Ranma grunted, nodding. "I tried," she mumbled. "He's pretty damned fast, though."

"Indeed," the woman mumbled, frowning. "How are you feeling, Ranma?"

"Tired," Ranma said glancing at the old woman, then back to Nuku, sleeping soundly on the bed. "But I've been worse. Can we get to work? I don't know how much time we've got left."

Cologne nodded slowly, backing out of the room. Ranma straightened the folds and creases on her makeshift outfit before following. "If you're certain," the woman answered, frowning.

Ranma shrugged, pacing out onto the deck of the ship, and cringing at the night sky. "Man," she grumbled. "I slept too long."

"I think the training might actually be better at night," Cologne responded. "If you're sure you're interested, that is..."

"Anything to help. Terry told me that, actually. I shouldn't reject anything that'll help me win the war."

"Is that so?" Cologne asked, raising an eyebrow. "Pity that those monsters probably don't have pressure points."

Ranma blinked at the woman, but said nothing.

"Ah, never mind about that. I've read through the scrolls your father left you... The training is going to be tricky, at best, but I trust you have a sharp mind. Are you ready?"

"Once we find Ryu," the redhead answered.

Cologne sighed, turning about and trundling across the deck. "Very well," she muttered. "He's waiting for us. Washuu had a favor to ask of you, when I explained some of the training to her."

"Eh?" Ranma noised, scratching her head curiously. "What kind of favor?"

XXX

"So."

"So."

The two boys stared at the slowly rolling deck beneath their feet.

The training was, in theory, simple, according to what Cologne had lain down for them. And the first task to sharpen those skills, of course.

"Well?"

"What?"

The hatches were clearly defined beneath their feet, quite wide, and making the pair wonder at the size of whatever lay within.

Which was, of course, the problem.

"I thought maybe you had an idea."

"I wish."

Silence, then.

"What now?"

"Uh ... first, we need to get through that hatch."

The hatch again. Solid steel, and who knew how thick it was, either?

"I'm seeing a problem here."

"What's that?"

Scratching behind an ear nervously, one of the boys shuffled his feet, leaning down to peer more closely at the barrier.

"How are we going to carry the thing, once we get it back, anyway? Yeah, I can jump from ship to ship pretty easily..."

"...but carrying whatever we get is just going to be insane?"

A minor rumble through the ship left both of them to carefully readjust their footing until it passed, and the submarine resumed its normal course.

"Yeah. I'm drawing a blank on this one."

Another moment of silence, broken only by the not-so-gentle lapping of the waves against the hull.

"Well, when all else fails, cheat."

"Sounds like a plan. You smash this damn thing open, I'll grab whatever's inside, and we'll teleport. Deal?"

"Deal. When we get back, let's have the old woman start us off with something a little less dangerous than stealing from the U.S. Navy."

XXX

"Where do you suppose Ryu-chan and Ranma are?" Makoto asked, muffling a yawn tiredly.

A blaring klaxon filled the late evening silence, as one of the submarines' lights came on, red and glaring. Men dashed about the deck of the surfaced craft, yelling indistinctly into the night, though a freighter alongside the Kitty Hawk hid one half of the craft from sight.

"I'm sure they're fine," Cologne said, emerging from the darkness to smile pleasantly at the assembled senshi.

The girls, and the one man with them - Haruka's deception might have slipped past Ranma and the others, but Cologne could see it easily enough - all stared towards the alarms for a long moment, and then turned their attention to the old woman. "What are they doing?" the blonde girl with the pair of long ponytails asked.

"Training," Cologne said flatly. "Now, if you'll forgive me, I'm going to have to speak with Norris about the small matter of some missing ... things."

The girls all blinked in unison, before Rei summed it up by saying, "I think I'm happier not knowing."

"I want to know what Ranma-san's doing," Hotaru grumped. "He's my boyfriend, after all."

Dead silence greeted that statement for a long moment, until Minako managed, "Does he know?"

"He'd better!"

XXX

Washuu looked up, blinking, as a massive volume of air was displaced from the hangar, leaving Ranma vainly attempting to hold up the SLBM that she had asked him to retrieve. Ryu hopped down from the missile and threw his own strength to the task, but at nearly seven feet across and another forty in length, it was too bulky for him to manage.

That Ranma's strength appeared to be up to the task - save for the intricacies of balancing it - was impressive, Washuu noted even as she tossed out another of the disks she had brought from her old lab for such occasions.

Finding the weight relieved, Ranma and Ryu slumped to the floor, groaning tiredly amid the planes. Washuu cocked her head as alarms blared throughout the ship. "Hmm," she mused. "I take it that things didn't go as well as you had hoped?"

"Not really," Ryu gasped. "The hatch was pretty damn thick. I think I almost broke my hand on it."

"And the missile was really heavy," Ranma panted. "I had to pick it up before I could teleport, and then get it turned sideways so it'd fit here."

Washuu winced. "I guess it was a bit much to ask for your first attempt. sI think I have something that can help you, since we're going to run out of room to work here, shortly," she mumbled, riffling through her pocket, and producing another small handful of disks. Approaching Ranma, she pressed them into his hands, explaining, "Hit the green button, then drop them beneath the missiles. That should make it much easier."

"Joy," Ryu muttered, still nursing his sore hand.

Glancing to one side as she heard a flurry of frantic footsteps, she grinned. "You should get out of here while I explain what happened to Norris-san."

Heaving a groan, Ranma grabbed Ryu, and vanished again.

XXX

"Okay," Setsuna mumbled, more for her own benefit than for either Haruka or Michiru. "Okay. So, all of my leads were essentially useless. Paper trails dry up when there's no longer buildings standing to house those papers."

Haruka shrugged, noting, "Well, it's about the best we could expect, really. I take it you didn't find anything?"

"Just the register," the other woman answered.

"Well," Michiru said softly, "we got a clue, but I'm not sure how much it helps..."

"What did you find?" Setsuna asked, eyes widening with interest immediately.

Haltingly and uncertain, the women managed to relay the images revealed to them earlier.

"That doesn't help very much," Setsuna said. "I can't imagine what any of that means. Colors? I suppose we could assume that the darkness is the reavers, but everything else? A rusty sword?"

Haruka frowned, her lips compressing into a tight and narrow line. "Well," she mumbled, "it _is_ all we have to go on, at the moment."

Setsuna bowed her head, sighing. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm under a lot of stress. I'll keep an eye open for anything that brings those clues to mind ... and any other clues that might present themselves."

With that, they disbanded for the evening, searching out a place to rest and plan for the next few days.

XXX

"Ah ... Hakubi-sensei?"

The scientist glanced over her shoulder at the diminutive blue-haired girl, who seemed to shrink into herself even more under her gaze. "Yes?" she asked, stepping away from her latest project, and wiping her hands on a rag.

The girl seemed distracted, likely by the fact that Washuu had previously been up to her elbows in a nuclear missile. Everyday item or or not, she knew what the device was. Likely there wouldn't be more than a small handful of people on the entire planet that didn't.

Seeing the girl's discomfiture and needing to rest her hands for a moment anyway, Washuu set the washcloth on the table before her, already covered in cast-off fittings and unneeded parts. The casings for her fission batteries lay to one side, simply awaiting the required components. Nuku sat on the edge of the table, kicking her feet idly and waiting for Ranma to return. "You can call me Washuu," she said, trying to calm the girl. "Actually, I'd prefer it if you called me Washuu-chan. What do you need?"

"Um..." If possible, the girl seemed to draw even further into herself. "It's about ... ah, Ranma-san."

"Oh-HO!" Washuu snickered, guessing the girl's reason for coming. "I see I've really outdone myself, making Ranma, hmm?"

"P-p-pardon, Washuu-sensei?" the girl stammered, blushing furiously.

"Ah. Not sure how to tell him you like him, hmm?" The scientist attempted to dismiss the nagging, annoying doubt, but it refused to fade. What was it? "Well," she mused, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "I don't know... I would think that you should probably wait a bit, if you want to tell him anything." The nagging doubt faded. Of course, she told herself. That kind of pressure would just distract Ranma, especially now. Much better to put it off until things had calmed down.

"That's not it, Washuu-sensei!" the girl blurted suddenly. "I wanted to talk to you about Ranma-san because I'm curious." She was silent for a moment, staring at the deck beneath her feet and fidgeting. "Aside from which, Hotaru-chan has said that he's her ... ah ... boyfriend."

The redhead blinked. "Who's Hotaru?"

The girl looked behind her, into the dimly lit passage and called softly, "Hotaru-chan, aren't you going to come in?"

Hesitantly, a shorter girl, somewhat pale, entered and stood immediately next to the blue-haired girl. Hotaru pouted and said, "I wanted to talk to Ranma-san..."

Washuu sighed, shaking her head and summoning her computer terminal. "He's a little busy at the moment," she notified the girls. "What did you want to talk to him about?" Frowning, she eyed the blue-haired girl. "And what did you say your name was, anyway?"

"Ah... I'm sorry, Washuu-sensei. I am Mizuno Ami, and this is my friend, Tomoe Hotaru," she said by way of introduction, seemingly ashamed that she had forgotten. "If ... you don't mind, we wanted to ask Ranma about his past, and what his story was. It seems that when Hibiki-san and Mousse-san told us ... there were things that they didn't tell us, either."

Washuu quirked an eyebrow. In all likelihood, Ami knew more about Ranma through his old friends than she did herself. She couldn't quite pin down why, but something about that bothered her. "Ah," she said. "And you want me to tell you the rest of the story?"

"No!" Ami blurted out, shaking her head and waving her hands worriedly. "That would be very disrespectful of Ranma-san, to ask behind his back! We ... wanted to ask him himself, if he was willing to speak to us about it."

"Oh, well ... that makes sense enough. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until he comes back from his training to ask, though." Washuu shook her head, tapping a few keys and calculating the most efficient way she could proceed with her work.

"Well ... since he is not here at the moment," Ami said, apparently still struggling for words, "do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Not really," Washuu said, despite the fact that she would rather have been left alone. "What did you want to know about?"

"Your computer, Washuu-sensei ... where did you get it?"

"I made it myself, when I was at the Academy," Washuu answered, frowning. Actually, that wasn't completely true - the entire system had been replaced, a piece at a time, as she had thought of new ways to improve it. The essence of the answer was true, however, since that was where the genesis of the computer had come from ... wasn't it? She couldn't remember back quite far enough to identify what she had used before.

"Which Academy?" Ami asked, still curious.

"One very far away," Washuu answered. "You may have guessed this already, but I'm not from around here."

"Oh? Are you a Juraian, like Masaki-san?"

"Something like that. Why do you want to know?"

Ami produced a small laptop from one pocket, showing it to Washuu and explaining, "I wanted to know if it was similar at all to mine. I don't ... ah, I don't know quite where this was created, and the database containing that information was damaged, so I was curious to know if you perhaps knew something more?"

"Oh?" Washuu asked, curious. The small computer would doubtlessly be completely unremarkable compared to her own, but it was still interesting. "Well, it's just Terran tech," she said. "I'll see what I can find out."

In a moment, she had connected the devices through a cable and was rapidly scanning Ami's smaller computer. "Hmm," she mused, surprised at the veritable mountains of data that lay within. "This is interesting."

"What's that, Washuu-sensei?"

Washuu glanced at the smaller girl, absently activating a subroutine to mirror everything on Ami's laptop and attempt to repair the aforementioned damaged databases. "That's quite a powerful machine you have there. Where did you find it?"

"It's ... ah ... left over from the Silver Millennium."

"That would explain it," Washuu noted. "I'll see if I can repair some of the damage, and I probably have a few of the same databases you do. It looks like almost the entire Juraian Cultural Library is stored there, along with other things..."

"Really?" the girl asked, curious. Washuu nodded, glancing for a moment at Hotaru, who was sitting on the floor near Nuku, bored. "I'd never gotten a chance to entirely read through all of the information there, and much of it didn't make any sense to me."

"Well, I can explain a bit to you..." She gestured the girl closer, pointing to her own terminal's screen. "See, this is the last entry in your mirror of the cultural library, which is dated the year before Amatera Omiki left Jurai. Now, of the existing sub-libraries you have..."

XXX

Leaning against the side of the conning tower, arms folded behind his head, Mousse asked, "Where do you suppose that Ranma is?"

Ryouga snorted, shaking his head. "Training, I bet. Not happy with his skill yet. Probably won't be until he can beat Ryu with one hand and not using his powers," he answered.

Sitting across from them in a meditative position, Yosho said nothing.

"Yosho-san?" Ryouga asked, looking at the stars more than the man.

"Yes?"

"What do you suppose will happen to us?"

Opening his eyes and looking up at the skies above, Yosho answered, "That, I do not know. I would like to think that we manage to defeat the reavers and reclaim our home, but ... it may not happen."

"What do you mean?" Mousse asked, confused. "There's only so many of them, and ... who knows how many of them are dead, now. Aren't we slowly winning? Once we get to the Joketsuzoku territories, we should have enough power to completely turn the tide."

"There are forces, boy ... forces that we cannot even _begin_ to understand at play here. More than just being men battling monsters, there's the ever present background of," he paused to spit, "politics. Even before that, however, these monsters adapt, and learn. If anything, they'll only grow more dangerous, the more we kill."

"You're saying we don't have a chance, and we should give up?" Ryouga asked quietly.

"No, but our fates do not rest entirely within our own hands. We will still need help from people with more power than ourselves..."

XXX

Tenchi relaxed, finally able to rest. Genoh and Karau had left, after Karau had drafted a contract for Genoh and Tenchi to sign.

More out of thought to her than any distrust of the Laruma, Tenchi had Ayeka read it before he signed it. Visibly shaken by the entire concept, the distraught princess managed to state that the contract had no loopholes for Tenchi to worry about, and at that, he had signed it.

That done, the Laruma had excitedly excused themselves, and Genoh followed the Throne in Vidarr until reaching the edge of Juraian space. Tenchi wasn't certain where the man had gone from there, but was more focused on dealing with things when he returned to the Court. "Ryouko?" he asked, suddenly.

The woman raised an eyebrow, lounged as she was in one of the nearer chairs. "Yes, Tenchi?"

"About those bars you were going to..."

The woman's expression wilted visibly. "What?" she asked, voice tinged with worry.

"I think you should probably keep going. That information is invaluable. Just ... be very careful about it."

"Tenchi!" Ayeka yelped. "What... I thought I was to be the new Inspector General of Information, and she the commander of the Royal Bodyguard!"

"That's right," Tenchi answered, grinning. "So they'd probably never expect a woman, after a hard day of work protecting the Emperor, to really be fishing for information."

Ayeka blinked, surprised at the concept. Ryouko raised both eyebrows, clearly impressed.

"Aside from which," Tenchi added, "if they do know why you're there, it'll still give us a good impression of what the average people in these bars think of the country."

"Empire," Ayeka corrected absently. "That is ... remarkably thoughtful, Tenchi-sama. I knew you would make a capable Emperor ... but... Well, I trust you, Tenchi-sama."

"I doubt I can do it alone. It's only thanks to you that I've managed this far," Tenchi said quietly, causing both women to blush faintly.

XXX

In the silence of a large canvas shelter, under the watchful eyes of Chiba Mamoru, six of the senshi slept. Again duffels and backpacks became makeshift pillows, while borrowed blankets from the Navy men protected them from the worst of the cold. Ami and Hotaru were looking for 'Ranma-san', who he had not himself met, though he'd heard a good deal of. Setsuna was off doing whatever it was that Setsuna did.

He thought it best not to ponder that and instead watched over the girls.

And presently, became drowsy, and thus, was too deep asleep to wake Rei when her dream began.

XXX

Her first impression was of her clothing, dressed as she was once more in her shrine-garb. However, in the place where the Sacred Flame burned, there was nothing. No altar.

A sick realization reached her, as she became aware of where she stood.

It was the temple as she had always tended it, save that it was empty. The walls, gone. Merely bare stone floors, razed clean of any other furnishings. The wooden floors, where they remained were rotting, collapsing under their own weight.

She swallowed a small ball of fear, looking to where the Sacred Flame traditionally burned again. The fire would have long since been extinguished, either by... But she stopped that train of thought. Regardless of the cause, she had failed to maintain it, as was her duty. Certainly, her grandfather would have taken an ember and tended it until he had a chance to rekindle the Flame, but it was her duty in the last days to maintain it.

And there, ethereal and unreal, wavering in the air as though atop an invisible altar, the Flame still burned.

Seductively, hypnotically, it wavered, beckoning her closer, seeming ready to draw her in. Nearly against her own will, she shuffled an awkward step closer to the Flame, and it began to unfold, expanding and encompassing to completely surround her.

With a sudden and lurching sensation, the Flame was within her - a _part_ of her - and suffused every particle of her being.

Not a Flame, she saw, finally understanding the truth of the matter. A focus. A window to something greater than herself. And even if she had failed to keep the fire burning, the Flame, that vital spark within herself or the other senshi could never be extinguished.

With that realization, the visions came.

XXX

Shanghai. She knew it without knowing how, feeling as though a great presence were guiding her.

The city streets were deserted, at the moment, but that moment passed, and life - motion burst into being. Behind her; she whirled.

Half a dozen of the American soldiers, carrying guns and looking in all directions worriedly. Behind them, Ranma, wounded and clutching his shoulder. He mumbled something, and the band followed, rushing down the street, around a corner and out of her sight.

Cries and explosions echoed, flashes of light and raw, deadly power radiated from the site. Rei felt herself struggling, even in dream, to help, but found herself restrained. A hand on her shoulder, and a presence so familiar - so achingly, woefully familiar.

Swallowing, she turned to behold the figure behind her. As radiant and noble as the day she had died - and that memory resounded through her so strongly she would have fallen to her knees, were she not caught into a gentle hug - was Serenity, her face sorrowful.

"Not yet," she whispered to Rei. "Not yet, child."

Rei nodded wordlessly, eyes wide and still brimming with tears. Was it the death of the men, fighting for the noblest of all causes? Or merely the presence of Serenity herself? She couldn't know, then, and Serenity gave her no more time to ponder.

"Child, watch, and know this. It is difficult for my warnings to reach you, from here."

The senshi nodded, and they were borne away in a gust of wind and a wash of white, cleansing power. She beheld beneath her, the city, falling slowly to the reaver attacks. They could be pushed back, and even be killed, but the human defenders were simply not adequate enough to counter the rush of the enemy.

In a matter of hours, she knew, the battle was lost. "How?" she managed. "How can we stop it?"

"The answer is plainer than you think," Serenity answered softly. "Merely trust, and allow all of yourselves to know in your hearts who to follow. But even if that obstacle can be overcome, there is yet worse." And with that, the scene changed once more.

The bottom of a wide valley, the mountains and nearby features foreign to Rei. In the center of the basin, morbid and stalwart stood three figures, though only two were known to her. Firstly, Hotaru, as Sailor Saturn, Glaive held upwards with grim purpose. Secondly, Ranma, dressed in odd, loose fitting red robes of unfamiliar make over his traditional black suit.

But lastly, and perhaps most importantly, there stood a winged man, trailing fire from the tips of his wings and more from his hands. Set more grimly and with firmer resolve than even Hotaru or the resolute Ranma, he glanced at Rei and managed a half-smile.

Turning away from her, he turned his attention to the other two. "It is agreed," he said, voice deep and resounding, seeming ready to fill the valley with its echoes. "There is no other path."

Hotaru nodded weakly, but unhappily.

Retrieving a small staff from the ground at his side, the man held it aloft, revealing it to be a scythe-like weapon, the blade at an awkward angle from the staff and shaped like a crescent moon. A sense of great purpose filled the area, and then all faded away again as Serenity guided Rei away. The same view, from nearly so high up as to be invisible.

At the edges of the basin, a creeping blackness encroached, rushing across the lip of the ridges, and then down, towards the trio below. Rei tried to scream a warning to them, to tell them what was happening, but her voice failed her and she watched with horror as the lowlands exploded with ice, cold so deep that the air of the valley was liquefied, and then frozen solid. It began with a green flash, which swiftly suffused blue and shot out to consume from where the three figures had stood.

And on the cold rushed, killing the blackness and turning the entire world into a massive, glittering ball of ice.

And then, all was silent.

XXX

She woke up, sitting bolt upright and drenched in sweat. She shivered, the image of a cold, dead Earth haunting her. The other girls about her remained asleep, but a nagging thought of the dream bit at her attention.

Firstly, she needed to ask the others about the dream. Because if they did not do as Serenity suggested ... they would all fail.

And lastly, but perhaps more importantly ... according to that dream, Hotaru, Ranma, and the fiery man who she did not know ... would die creating the Great Ice.

Usagi failed to wake when shaken, but Rei was too rattled to wait. Giving up on that, she rose on unsteady feet - she needed to find someone to talk to about the dream right away, and a feeling she couldn't pinpoint suggested Hotaru should be there.


End file.
